Spider-man: Power with Responsibility
by Miquka
Summary: The life of young Peter Parker suddenly changes when he's bit by a radioactive spider. Now as Spiderman he faces colorful enemies and high-school trying to live by the words of his Uncle: With great power comes great responsibility. Mostly Spiderman and co. Rated M for violence, swearing, and future sexual content. Based on the Ultimate comics and the Spectacular-Spiderman cartoon.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hey, everyone! This is the start of the hopefully long story of my incarnation of Spiderman. Couple of things: First, while Peter's still a nerd he isn't disliked because of that since nowadays it's not really relevant but because he is (or was) socially awkward. Also New York is a bit darker place than in real life so expect some unpleasantries, hence the M rating. Also again, my story will mostly be centered around Spiderman and his supporting cast with a few exceptions here and there but don't expect other major marvel heroes anytime soon, if ever. I mostly took inspiration from the ultimate comics and the Spectacular Spiderman cartoon. And finally this is my first fanfiction so please be nice and if you don't like something then help me improve my writing. That's it, now on with the fic!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other characters from Marvel!**

Chapter one: End of Summer

 _Honestly, what was she thinking? That she'd hop on a boat, escape and be free of them? Or she'd find someone who would help her get back to her homeland, wherever that is, and live happily ever after._ Schultz marveled at the stupidity of desperate people and sighed as he and three of his colleagues cornered the woman in an alley near the docks.

"Alright, it's over. Don't make this any harder and just come back with us." He said.

"Please just let me go, I can't take it anymore" Pleaded the woman with heavy eastern European accent. "Just me. You can let one go…"

"No can't do hon'" Said Schultz' colleague Jackson Brice, otherwise known as Montana, with his annoying southern accent. Actually it wouldn't be really annoying if he didn't spoke too much. And didn't force it either. "You know how it goes, we let one slip and then all the others come beggin'. Besides you've been workin' for only a short time, it can't be that bad. If you come nice an' easy then maybe I'll pay a visit soon…"

"ENOUGH! If you scare the _cyka_ then it will be harder to get her back." That was Alex O'Hirn, born as Aleksei Sytsevich, ex bratva and currently very angry. Maybe because he has a short temper. Or maybe because he was very busy with another prostitute when the call came that this one escaped. Probably both. He had just a hint of Russian accent but he only said word in his native tongue when he lost his temper. The only other person without an accent, except for Schultz, was Flint Marko but he probably won't say a word. He was only in it for the money and didn't find this kind of job very amusing. Sometimes Herman Schultz wished his other friends would follow the same kind of street professionalism.

"Oh come on I wasn't scaring you sugar, now was I?" Said Montana while walking over to the escapade. " I was just makin' an offer an' I think she kinda likes what she… AH YOU FUCKIN' BITCH! "

She slapped him! _Why would she make it this hard for herself? Honestly how stupid she is?_ Just to see his point proven he watched as Montana gave her a backhanded slap then just before she could collapse he grabbed her by the throat.

"You think you can play hard on me, sugar?" And he hit her right in her guts. Now that was overboard.

"HEY, calm down and stop damaging the product!" ordered Schultz

"Easy there, I heard some costumers like their gal a little bruised" Said Montana sending a significant glance at Alex.

"Yes, but we like to hurt them ourselves, idiot." Replied O'Hirn. Schultz saw Flint flinch at that and his jaw tightened but only for a moment before his face shifted back to neutrality. _Just one more like him would be enough_ , he thought.

"Alright Montana let go of her throat" He started" and tie her hands up. O'Hirn stuff this little silk cloth in her mouth so she wouldn't scream and then let's get going. I have other matters to attend to this evening."

"Me too" replied Alex, and then did as he was ordered to. Flint already got the car keys when Montana spoke up

"Hey why won't you finish up with this one? " He asked and smiled at the girl. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Why won't you ask her that? "Asked a new voice. All of them tensed up and looked around but saw no-one else in the alley. Suddenly something shot down from above and ripped the silk cloth out of the woman's mouth who started begging as soon as she could.

"Please, I…I'll… I'll do anything just don't hurt me…"

"SHUT UP, BITCH" Roared Alex while still holding her hands behind her back.

"Now-now, I thought we would hear out what she thinks of your offer, and I'm afraid it looks like she's not interested" Said the voice mockingly. He sounded very young." And how can you speak like that, gentlemen, in presence of a lady no less. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"

"Listen kid, I don't know who you think you are" replied cockily Montana but there was a little uncertainty in his voice too." But if you think you can go aroun' messin' with us then…"

"Shut it, Montana and draw your gun!" Ordered Schultz. He had a feeling that the enemy was in a whole other league. _But which one?_ he thought as he saw Montana grab his gun. But before he could take it out the shadows moved and suddenly his legs were pulled out from under him. The next moment he was hanging upside down from a lamppost.

"Woah seriously, Montana? I was just about to ask where you got that stupid accent of yours but never mind" The voice laughed.

 _Those look like webs. So not the Goblin. The Spider! Well at least we'd make it out of here alive_ thought Schultz _if what I heard is true_.

"Show yourself or I'll break the bitch's neck" growled Alex, his accent getting thicker.

"Again with the name calling. Do you kiss your Mother Russia with that mouth?" The newcomer asked and then a figure fell down right next to O'Hirn and before he could do anything he was knocked out cold. Flint threw himself at the attacker without hesitation but the newcomer was too fast and with less than a blink of an eye kicked Flint away took the woman in his arms and jumped up high in the air swallowed by the night. If it wasn't for the hooker's screaming Schultz might have thought that he simply just disappeared. Then the screaming stopped, the woman probably calmed by her savior. Or he webbed up her mouth to shut her up. Probably the latter. He saw Flint trying to stand up and hurried over to help him.

"We need to get to the car "he whispered" Do you still have the keys?"

He nodded and so the two of them started to run for it. They were only a couple of feet away when Flint was pulled back and stuck to the wall. Schultz tried to aim his gun but he found no target.

"You know, that toy is for big boys only mister" the Spider said" Do you have a license for that?"

"So you're a cop?" asked Schultz while turning around.

"Only on Halloween" came the answer from right behind him "Peekaboo"

He turned and saw his opponent hanging upside down lit from above by the light of a lamp. He was wearing a red and blue suit with the exception of the eyes of his mask that were white. He aimed and shot without hesitation but the Spider pulled himself up faster than the bullet. The two fired shots hit their car instead, one somewhere near the engine the other right in the front right tier causing the air to leak from it. Suddenly his gun was jerked out of his hands and then his opponent appeared to his left side leaned on his shoulder and started shaking his head.

"It's a damn shame about your car" he said" Oh well, accidents happen, am I right?"

Schultz tried to punch him but his arm was grabbed and forced behind his back with incredible strength. Than before he could think of anything he was webbed to the wall right next to Flint. Sirens were heard from the distance probably because the gunshots.

"Ah that's my cue to leave" said the Spider and turned to do just that when he abruptly stopped and turned to Schultz" Oh would you mind asking the policemen if they could lend me a uniform for Halloween. I'm sure you will be talking a lot with'em"

Schultz just grunted and rumbled something inaudible.

"Just think about it, would you?" he said" I'm sure you'll have tons of time to do just that. It'd be the first step to cross you off of my naughty list." And with that he jumped up high in the air and swinged off to the distance.

Schultz tried to escape from the webs but they wouldn't break. He turned his head to Flint who probably thought the same thing. _The Boss won't be happy about this_.

* * *

It was very tricky to swing above the streets of Queens. Peter had to rely mostly on street lamps but if you jump more than shoot webs then it's manageable. _Plus it probably looks really cool,_ he thought as he saw his aunt's house. He made sure nobody was looking, which at one a.m. was pretty much guaranteed, and landed silently on the roof. He opened his window, climbed in then shut it immediately just to be safe and stripped out of his costume. It's not as difficult as one would think since Peter designed it to be easily removable. _With my macho sawing skills, no less!_ He thought sarcastically. He lay down on his bed wearing only his boxers and thought about tomorrow. Or today, technically. Come the morning he would start his second year of high school, only this time with a secret life and superpowers. _And without Uncle Ben…_ he thought sadly. He wasn't sure what he should feel about tomorrow. Fear, excitement or maybe a bit of both. He mostly felt tired.

During last year's field trip to Oscorp laboratories, courtesy of the only person he could maybe call friend Harry Osborn, Peter was bit by a spider that probably went under some pretty illegal experiments and thus gained superpowers. Speed, strength, super-senses, sticking to walls and a weird spider-sense-warning-system-thing that only worked according to its own whim. So mostly he gained anything starting with an 's' letter. Peter still wasn't sure how he gained all these powers in the span of a night. Maybe he was a mutant and the spider only activated his mutation. But the existence of mutants was very hush-hush publicly so it was pretty hard to get any information on them. Regardless he had them so he might as well use them. Some might think of getting women or money or fame but Peter had other plans. He always felt that everyday life was dull and boring. He never quite fit in the real world and preferred the bounder less world of movies and video games where anything could happen. So when the real world became like that, he wasted no time enjoying it, going skydiving in the middle of the night from the highest buildings of New York or participating in underground boxing under the name of Spider-man. He created a costume just for that, with colors of red and blue honoring the spider's colors that changed his life and also created a sticky web-like substance that could be made with chemicals that are easily accessible to anyone. The receipt is secret. Since his behavior had changed drastically his foster parents, Uncle Ben and Aunt May thought that it was just a phase in puberty and decided to have a talk with him. Ben used his favorite motte that said _with great power comes great responsibility_ , so just a boring, cliché quote the likes of which you can find tons of on Facebook. Rich people have tons of power and only a very few feels responsible for their actions, much like Harry or his father, Norman Osborn. Well, it turns out that it's not quite how it works. During one of his late night escapes, Ben found out that he wasn't home and started looking for him in the city. Apparently he was caught in the crossfire during a robbery and was killed on the spot. That's when the feeling of responsibility hit Peter. He could have saved him or talked to him about it or stopped the robbery in the first place instead of beating up the local champion of a no-name bar near Hell's Kitchen. That very feeling was what his uncle meant with his motto but that understanding came too late to save him. But not too late for anyone else. And so during the rest of the summer his nights were spent above the streets of New York looking for criminals, listening to police broadcasts or doing some other vigilante stuff as the Amazing Spider-man. He was pretty hush-hush in the media too but word spread through the criminals that there was something out there that was out of their league. Tonight was like that too. A damsel in distress rescued and taken to safe location from where she could escape this city and go home and the bad guys beaten, probably in police custody by now. _Oh yeah, and that woman won't be bothered ever again and those criminals will spend the rest of their lives in jail and not be out by the end of the week._ Thought cynically Peter as he was trying to sleep. Changing how the world works was turning out to be quite difficult, surprisingly. _Regardless, I have to try_ he thought _because as far as I know I'm the only one who can._ And with that he fell asleep.

* * *

It was his third "one phone call" by six a.m. and it started to get on his nerves. _It should have been settled hours ago_ thought Schultz angrily.

"If you call me one more fucking time I swear I'm gonna make you a cripple and take the money away the state gives you every month!" Growled his Boss on the other end of the line." I told you that we're doing everything we can to get you out of there. But it takes time."

 _It never took this long for you_ Schultz thought. He suspected that they were being punished because that whore escaped. _It wasn't like we could have stopped that freak from saving her!_ But that wasn't exactly why he called his Boss this time.

"The captain is here and wants to speak with me" he said with fake calmness "I just wanted to ask how to proceed"

That one second hesitation told him that this was new information to his Boss. _That's what you get for trying to detain us!_

"I see. Well, keep everything vague and try not to let any information slip away about our operations. I'll try to speed things up" and with that he hung up.

 _I'm sure you will now!_ Thought Schultz as he put the phone back to its place. _And thanks for the ingenious advice! I'd have never thought of that!_ He only asked for advice because that was the only way he could alert him about the interrogation without indicating that his Boss didn't know about it in the first place. His ego was enormous. _Probably why he had such a big head_ he thought and chuckled at his own joke. Mostly because he was tired. He hadn't slept since he was brought in and now he had to face one of the most bizarre things in New York City.

"Sir, if you're finished Captain George Stacy would like to speak with you now."

Despite everything the media said New York was ruled by criminals. They infiltrated every level of power that could be used and that included the police too. There were lots of crooked policemen from every rank who were paid to overlook certain "incidents". Most of those who weren't overlooked it anyway for fear of being reported by the others. And then there was Captain Stacy… He was a paradox, someone who shouldn't exist. He never received any extra money, never overlooked any crime and somehow managed to climb to the rank of captain AND keep said rank for over a decade by now. There were many theories about why that could happen. Some said that it was to keep up the appearance of the police's integrity, others said that it's because even the crime lords found respect for his persistence. Some cruel ones said that he simply amused those in power and they wanted to see him struggle. Regardless, he was a captain and Schultz was about to have an unpleasant chat with him. As he entered the interrogation room he saw the captain sitting in the opposite chair, his hair light blonde, his eyes pale blue like a glacier and his posture very firm despite the look of tiredness on his face. That was until he spoke with strong but calm voice.

"Thank you, Jean. You can go and have some rest now."

"Thank you, Captain."

The policewoman exited the room and the captain's icy gaze fixed on Schultz.

"You can sit."

"I don't plan to"

"Expecting to go somewhere? So soon?

"Been here long enough"

"On that we disagree" The captain said and pulled out folder from under the table filled with documents. About Schultz!

"Herman Schultz, suspected in dozens of crime including but not limited to homicide, arson, blackmailing, human trafficking and embezzlement to mention just the last couple of months."

"None of those were ever proven."

"Yes, sadly somehow most of the evidence got corrupted in the process. But I find it quite interesting that a man in your profession can afford such expensive lawyers. Maybe I should have become a janitor."

"Maybe you should have. You might actually like it."

"I doubt that"

"Suit yourself"

To that the captain smirked "Speaking of suits, you said in your statement that you and your friends, while walking in an alley in the middle of the night, were attacked by a costumed freak wearing a red and blue spandex suit. Is that statement true?"

"Oh, I'd never dare lie to the police"

"So it is also true that your attacker and I quote 'shot a white sticky substance all over your bodies'?"

"Ah, come on captain I'm sure you have heard of guys like that before. There must be some gay policemen too"

The captain's gaze never wavered. _Maybe he didn't get it_.

"The officers who found you said they heard gunshots…"

"Yeah he was shooting, too. You know I can't have a gun."

"They also said they heard a woman scream"

"Oh, that was just O'Hirn, he got scared. He might look tough on the outside but inside…" Schultz smirked but the captain's face still showed no emotion. It was almost impressive.

"Do you have any idea why he attacked you and your friends of all people?"

"Seeing how he dresses, he's probably crazy so there is no reason to look for whys"

"That's for me to decide" Captain Stacy said as his gaze hardened. Suddenly the door opened and Jean returned.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Captain, but Mister Schultz' lawyer has arrived"

The captain sighed and nodded. As Schultz was going through the door he abruptly stopped and turned his head to the captain. Even he wasn't sure why he did what he did. Maybe the captain really could inspire respect for his persistence from anyone.

"I'm sure you don't believe me but that guy is real and he was there. And I heard from someone that they call him … Spider-man"

* * *

Peter just got on the school bus, a little disappointment showing on his face. Given his powers he shouldn't use the bus to get to school but today he took it anyway in the off chance of meeting his part-time neighbor. Right next to their house lived his Aunt's best friend, Anna Watson. They knew each other since they were little girls. And sometimes, when things at home weren't really good Anna's niece, Mary Jane Watson came over and spent the night there. She also happened to be Peter's classmate and one of the very few people who could be considered interesting in their school, in Peter's opinion. Mary Jane was a born model and not just because her physical appearance although that shouldn't be overlooked either. Her hair was a very unique shade of red, dancing like blazing fire if the wind got hold of it. Her eyes were emerald green, so strong one would expect them to glow in the night. And there was a little star shape around her pupils completing the otherworldly look of her face. Her body looked like it was shaped and formed to make the perfect teenage girl with long legs and intriguing curves in all the right places. But what really made her stand out in a crowd was her personality. She was laid back, calm, free spirited and always smiling. She knew she was hot and didn't pretend that she wasn't but she wasn't full of herself either. She didn't really care about the social statuses of their high school and treated everyone at first equally and then according to their actions, including the teachers. They weren't happy about that but since she also cared little of what other people thought of her it didn't bother her. That carefree attitude of hers was what made Peter so interested in her since most other teenagers were mostly occupied by what society thought of them. So sometimes they shared a bus ride, talking about particularly anything except for gossips. But sadly today wouldn't be such a day since apparently she stayed home last night. Peter wasn't sure why sometimes she stayed at her Aunt's house and she never talked about it but he suspected that things weren't really optimal with her parents. So Peter sat alone and counted how many times he could have made it to school by swinging. He got bored at five. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long as Midtown High appeared in front of him.

As Peter approached the entrance he came across a group of friends he knew all too well. They pointedly ignored him which suited him just fine because he never really got along the group's leader, Flash Thompson. Flash was a classic cool high-school student, with big muscles, barely average grades and a hot girlfriend. He mostly cared about social status, played football, went to all kinds of parties a teenager wouldn't be allowed to go, got drunk, and otherwise enjoyed his high school years. He wasn't a bully exactly but Peter had seen, and a few times experienced, some of his mean pranks that got as much cries as it did laughs. Since Peter didn't really show any reaction to these pranks, apart from some eye-rolling, he was mostly left alone but got labeled as the school weirdo in return. Next to him was his girlfriend Elizabeth Allen whom apparently they managed to persuade to join the cheerleaders. Her black hair and light-brown skin was a good contrast to Flash's dirty-blond hair and pale skin. Peter didn't really know much about her, apart from being Puerto Rican in origin. Oh and smoking hot much like her blond friend Sally Avril and if Flash was the perfect cool guy than she was the perfect high school cheerleader with an insanely hot body for a teenager, blonde hair, vibrant blue eyes, little to no shame when it came to clothing and a smug, condescending attitude. Oh, and an ear-piercingly loud voice which came in handy for a cheerleader. Her giant black boyfriend, Randy Robertson was a direct opposite having a cool and deep voice which he barely used since he mostly said only a word or sometimes a short sentence. Those were extremes. He was the only guy in the group whom Peter liked somewhat. _Plus his name is alliteration like mine so plus points there too._ The last one in the group was Kong who probably got his nickname from the giant gorilla. He was slightly overweight and slow both physically and mentally. Weirdly enough he was also one of the more interesting part of the group or more accurately him being part of it was. By all accounts the guy should have been bullied but since Flash befriended him on day-one nobody dared to say anything to him. As far as Peter could tell the group itself treated him as an equal too. As Peter watched them talk with each other, most likely about how they've spent their summer a sudden feeling of jealousy hit him. _There is no-one I can tell I've spent my summer_ he thought morosely

"If you're going to keep staring at them I might have to accept the rumors that you're actually just a sociopath. And then I should explain my dad why I brought one home so many times." Said a voice behind him but it didn't scare him because he already heard him arrive. Peter turned around and smiled. Harry Osborn was a long haired, skinny, brooding-looking guy with clothes as expensive as cars. He was also Peter's only friend mostly because he helped Harry with his studies and they got along pretty well during that. But it wasn't the deep heart to heart kind of friendship.

"Hey Harry. I'm still pretty sure he thinks we're secretly dating" replied Peter sarcastically.

"I'm not. He would have talked to me about that by now. He'd rather wish I brought a sociopath home." Answered Harry Osborn lazily.

"Come on, now. The great progressive Norman Osborn a bigot? I don't buy that."

"Oh, he's not, not at all. A group could announce that they, from now on, want to marry chickens and he'd be like 'sure why not'. But not his own son." Harry said his voice getting angry at the last statement. Peter knew his relationship with his dad was an itchy subject so he tried to change it.

"Soo… done anything fun during the summer?" he asked fast. _Subtle Peter_.

"Been around the Caribbean's watching hot models bathing in the sea. Can't complain."

"Yeah sure and I'm the sociopath…"

"And you? I can see you've been working out. How the hell did that happen?"

"Oh, ohm you know, just working off stress and stuff…"

"What kind of stress did you have to work in Queens…" Harry suddenly stopped his face turning serious and guilty" Holy shit, Peter I'm sorry, I just forgot that your Uncle…"

"It's alright… I mean don't worry about it" his voice sounded very deep despite himself. They stood in silence for a couple of seconds before Harry, just like Peter did, changed the subject.

"Look, I've got the new Osberry! Wanna check it out? It got a holographic display!"

"Woah, seriously? How much does it cost?"

"It's not out in the stores yet. I'm sort of the test subject since we're the most likely target audience."

"Okay, then let's test the shit out of it"

"I hoped you'd say that" Harry said and with that they entered the school building. They walked through the hall while they watched a little 3D holographic New York City appear before them above the phone screen _. That could come in handy_ Peter thought when suddenly someone bumped into him. Or more accurately off of him as his was barely moved by the sudden collision. He quickly held out his hand took hold of the falling girls waist before pulling her up. She was wearing a black tank top that revealed her naval and the piercing in it and a rather short black skirt and long black boots with fishnets that showed off some impressive legs. Her hair was pale blond with some blue dyes at the end of it and her eyes were icy blue.

"Could you watch where you're going, psycho, instead of your phone" Said an irritated Gwen Stacy. Much like Mary Jane she also treated everyone equally but that only meant that she was a jerk to anyone who got close to her. That also included the teachers which made his father's visits, the police captain of New York, very frequent. Both of them realized that Peter was still holding her so he quickly let go receiving an icy stare. Feeling awkward, his adrenalin kicked in and he did what he usually did when that happened.

"But then how else can a psycho like me find his next target?" He said and smiled a crazy smile. _A joke, a freaking joke, why do I always do that?_ From the corner of his eyes he could see Harry stiffen up and look bewildered. Gwen's icy eyes widened in surprise.

"Woah since when are you such a joker, Parker?" She asked

"Ate the right kind of people, I guess" Peter replied with a smile showing his teeth this time. _And since when did my humor become so dark_? Her eyes widened again and she looked really confused before shaking her head and, surprisingly, she gave a little chuckle.

"Alright, just be a bit more careful with your targets. My dad's a cop"

"I'll keep that in mind" And with that she left.

When Peter turned to Harry he still had a shocked expression on his face.

"Dude, what the hell was that?"

Peter was probably as surprised as he was but only forced a little smirk on his face and said:

"Duh, I'm the school sociopath. I guess you're gonna have to tell your dad before it's too late"

* * *

 _It's already too late_ Adrian Toomes thought as he entered his home, a dusty old place with a living room used as a workshop. _Those fucking scavengers at Oscorp think I'm already a half-living corpse and they can just take what they want from me. Well, not this one!_ He thought as looked at his prototype, stolen and somewhat modified glider. He was pushing his fifties and he couldn't really stand up on the glider thus he modified it so he could wear it on his back with a few extra features. A truly maniac smile spread across his face

"Well, let's see who's gonna feast on whose corpse now!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Well that was a really long wait. Sorry about that.. life and stuff you know. Anyway here's the new one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter two: Corps in the making

The car that came for them stuck out like a sore thumb in the parking lot of the police station. The black limousine just screamed money and expense, something they shouldn't be able to afford. _The police must think I'm an amazing janitor!_ Thought Schultz sarcastically. He was waiting with Flint for O'Hirn to be released from custody inside the limo. Montana, staying true to himself, couldn't keep his mouth shut and got in a fight with one of the other inmates so he wouldn't be released today. Schultz didn't really mind, in fact he hoped that his friend would learn a valuable lesson from the experience. _Yeah, sure and I'm an upstanding citizen of New York._ Although if he was honest with himself he should have started a fight too rather than to be in a closed space with that woman. She hadn't done anything since he got in but something in the way she sat made his skin crawl. _Like a predator waiting to kill her prey._ He was saved from further going down on that line of thought when the door swung open and the giant head of O'Hirn appeared.

"You shouldn't have stayed this low-key I nearly fucking missed you!" He said with a grin to Schultz until he saw who was sitting in front of them. "Good morning, ma'am." He said quickly with sudden serious expression on his face. She didn't really acknowledge that he arrived apart from tapping twice on the glass that separated them form the chauffeur signaling him to start driving. They drove in silence for fifteen minutes and despite the working air conditioner all three of them were sweating until the woman finally fixed Schultz with her piercing glare that rivaled Captain Stacy's

"What happened last night?" She asked him with a perfect American accent despite coming from Europe although Schultz wasn't sure where exactly. Her voice was as hard as her brown eyes that left no room for escape. But the whole scenario reminded him too much of the interrogation room with Captain Stacy.

"Mostly what I told the police, plus the escaping whore. I'm sure you have the report" said Schultz before he realized that his snarky remark probably just cost him his life but he was afraid and tired and couldn't help his bitterness. He felt his partners stiffen up next to him and even the woman raised her left eyebrow and managed to make even that little movement frightening. Schultz felt himself staring to panic but he couldn't show any weakness now so he tried to stay confident.

"I mean if you want to treat me like the police does you shouldn't expect any different treatment either." He heard himself say and started to wonder what kind of death will be waiting for him soon. _Hopefully, quick._ He thought but knew better than that. The woman only tilted her head slightly to her right like a bird watching a flickering worm.

"Alright" was the only word she said before she quickly thrust out her right hand and Schultz suddenly felt pain spread through his right shoulder. When he looked down he saw the end of a little throwing knife sticking out from his own flash before he felt like someone just set his arm on fire. _The bitch smeared the fucking knife with something._ He groaned loudly and quickly pulled out the weapon not caring that he would start to bleed faster. He just wanted that burning acid-shit out of him. Luckily the knife didn't hit any arteries so there was only a miner bleeding. He just now realized that Flint was gripping his other arm. He must have reacted faster to her movements and pulled Schultz towards himself. If he hadn't the knife would probably be sticking out of his collarbone right now. The guy was too good for the streets.

If the woman was surprised by Flint's actions she didn't show, instead she just leaned back crossed her legs and sent a bright smile towards Schultz that one might think genuine if not for the ruthlessness in her eyes.

"Now, without further ado tell me what happened last night. Please."

* * *

The first day of high school was, for the lack of better term, boring. Normally even most of the classes aren't much of a challenge for Peter but today even that little challenge was missed since most of the day was spent with the teachers describing what to expect from this year's subjects and everyone telling tales about how they spent the summer to all of their friends. Peter had problems with that on multiple levels. First, he couldn't tell what really happened to him if he wanted to keep his secret identity and those few part he could tell weren't worth telling. Second, there was no-one to tell to besides Harry with whom he had spent the better part of the morning and they already run out of things to talk about. Their friendship was only so close. In fact they've been walking besides each other in silence for ten minutes now in the school yard before Peter heard a very distinguishable laugh. He quickly turned and started to look for the source of the sound. He didn't have to look for long before he saw that so unique shade of red in the corner of his eyes and found to his surprise that his heart just skipped a beat. His surprise also robbed him the chance to speak first.

"Hello there, Tiger. I haven't seen you all day! How was summer?" Asked Mary Jane with a voice that shouldn't belong to a sixteen years old girl. Tiger was the nickname she had chosen for him although Peter couldn't tell why even if his life depended on it.

"Hi, MJ. It was fine I guess… a bit of a rollercoaster to be honest"

"Hmm, mine too. It's a shame we weren't on the same theme park. I could've used your company" She said and Peter had to wonder again how she manages to sound teasing and honest at the same time. He wanted to agree but didn't get the chance because Harry, who Peter absolutely forgot was there, spoke up.

"Hello to you too, Mary Jane." Harry said with a slightly annoyed tone. Peter vaguely remembered hearing something about Harry having a huge crush on MJ (like most of the male and some of the female population of the school) and asking her out multiple times all of which she less and less nicely declined. It was stupid teenage gossip so he hadn't really payed attention and didn't want to ask either of them about it because he thought it would be awkward. Like the situation now, although only Harry seemed tense. Mary Jane just flashed a lovely smile and acted like their history wasn't a big deal at all.

"Oh, hi Harry. Sorry but couldn't recognize you with all that hair in your face" She said lightly while brushing away said hair with her fingers like it was the most normal thing to do. Harry's face started to become red and Peter thought he smelled a little sweat too. As far as he knew Harry wasn't really awkward around girls, having brooding looks and lots of money but now he looked like he had never even seen one. Peter also noted, to his surprise happily, that MJ didn't have a nickname for Harry. Before his friend's head could explode Mary Jane stepped back with an examining look on her face. To Peter's surprise Harry's hairstyle have changed from eye-covering to adjusted to the right side but somehow still fashionably negligent exposing his grey-green eyes that he got from his father. It did suit him better. MJ examined him for a few seconds before nodding with a dashing smile then turning to Peter.

"Where were the two of you going?" She asked.

"We wanted to eat some crappy burgers down the street. Wanna join?" asked Peter.

"Absolutely!" exclaimed MJ excitedly.

"Wait, really? Don't you have to watch out for your looks?" asked Harry while they started walking towards their destination.

"Hmm, do you think I should?" Retorted MJ with a little hurt look on her face although Peter could hear a little tease in her voice. Apparently, Harry couldn't.

"W.. Well, I.. I just meant that with the modeling and all…" Harry stuttered but was stopped when she started laughing.

"Relax, it's nothing. And no, luckily I don't have to. Apparently I can eat anything without gaining any ounce of fat. Like I was born to be a model." She said with a huge smirk. "What about you, though? How come you're planning to eat this vile food of lowly-peasants?"

Peter thought Harry will be hurt that she brought up that side of his life but if he was he didn't show.

"Well, you know if my Father found out about it he'd probably have a heart attack sooo… I'm paying!"

* * *

Usually something of this magnitude would require tons of preparations. Unfortunately, that wasn't something Adrian had time for. So he hoped that his years of experience and all those times he tried parachuting in his youth would pay off. Luckily, the modifications on his new glider-turned-backpack wings worked smoothly and his first test-fly only boosted his confidence. So much so that he decided that he wouldn't wait any longer and started his offensive. He was fairly close to the Oscorp Tower when he started to wonder just exactly how threatening he looked. He wore his old leather biker jacket that he dyed green, so it would match his wings, along with his crash helmet, for which he welded a beak-like metal part and sprayed a little black paint on it for eyes. About that he felt a bit stupid now but he really wanted to give an intimidating bird of prey vibe. The only threatening parts of his attire were of course the wings, that he upgraded with a few sharp metal edges, and the metal claws on his leg that he could hydraulically close and open by moving his foot. This way he wasn't able to stand on his feet but luckily his wings could hoover in one-place. Nevertheless, before more doubt could enter his mind he looked down and saw people pointing and looking up at him in awe and a little bit of fear. This managed to steel his reserve and he sped up.

By the time he arrived to the roof of the Oscorp Tower he was so high on confidence and adrenaline that he felt unstoppable. There was a security guard smoking on said roof but as soon as he saw him flying towards him, he let his cigarette drop out of his mouth. To Adrian's disappointment his shock only lasted so long because the next second he jumped out of his way, ducked and by the time he was standing again he was holding a gun. Adrian let his panic make his moves, which probably saved his life, as the very moment he turned his back on him a bullet bounced off his wings. He quickly turned around and used his claws to slash at his assailant's hand. The guard probably foresaw what he was about to do and moved back a little but he couldn't predict the speed at which his wings carried Toomes. He only grunted when the sharp metal tore a huge scar along his forearm but he dropped the pistol which was the only thing that mattered to Adrian. He let his wings carry him further and he managed to knock the guard back against the rooftop door. Seeing his panicked expression, which he tried to hide, Adrian couldn't help the feral smirk under his helmet.

"Look son, I'm faster, stronger, and smarter than a hundred men my age. So a goon with a gun won't get the drop on me!"

* * *

When Peter wished he had a more exciting day he had no idea that this would be the form it was going to take. He was having a nice chat and a semi-nice (but free) meal with MJ and Harry when a (probably) crazy guy in a bird(ish) looking costume flew over their head. The little tingle that went down his spine told him that soon trouble would follow so he decided to chase him. He literally told his companions "Ahm… things and…. stuff" and ran off to an alley so he could change into his costume. _I guess I'm lucky that me being odd isn't really odd_ , he thought as he shot his first line of web up a building and started to search for the birdman. He had a pretty good head start and was apparently heading for Oscorp. So Peter sped up, not really caring about all the attention he was getting from below. Even from far away he was able to hear the gunshot which made him do a reckless move by shooting further away so the momentum could carry him faster. The Oscorp Tower was, not surprisingly given its owner, much taller then its surrounding buildings so Peter had to do a sling maneuver around the building because otherwise he would have crashed into it with his speed. When he shot up above the tower he was able to see Mr. Birdman hoovering above an injured security officer. He quickly shot a web and swung himself right at him, kicking him away from the guard. Peter turned around to see how deep a cut was on the poor man's arm. It didn't look really deep but he had to ask.

"How is your right girlfriend buddy?" He asked and then mentally punched himself. _I really should stop speaking when I'm on an adrenalin rush, I'm such an asshole_. It was evident on the guard's face that he was fighting over being grateful and feeling insulted but after a second he just shook his head indicating that Peter had better things to worry about. So Spider-Man turned around only to see the attacker hoover above the tower. On closer inspection he kinda looked lame discounting the wing on his back with feather shaped metals and maybe his claws on his legs. He was looking right at him and even with a silly helmet on his head he could imagine his confused expression.

"What the hell are you? Another guard? Osborn is doing human experiments now?" Asked the man who sounded like he was somewhere around his middle-ages in Peters opinion and was feeling quite a bit of pain probably from the kick. _Well, only indirectly as far as I know._

"You nearly tore off that man's arm! In bird culture this is considered a dick move." Peter replied. The only response he got was an attempted kick in the face that he easily dogged. _Maybe he didn't get that reference._ From the corner of his eyes he saw the security guard calling someone from his phone and decided to take this fight somewhere with a comfortable lack off injured people laying around. Peter jumped on his assailants back, shot a long web line towards the nearest building and pulled the guy with him. Halfway through the birdman got him off his back with a horizontal spin in the air and Peter had to shoot another web to safely stick himself on the wall. For a few seconds they just looked at each other before Peter spoke up.

"I really have to ask you something that's been bothering me ever since I saw you."

"It's none of your business why I…"

"Are you bald?"

"…what?"

"You know, like real life vultures. They don't have any feather on their heads."

"I look like a vulture to you?" Asked the guy in the bird costume incredulously.

"You look like a lunatic but in cartoons those are nearly always the vultures"

"You think yourself big, making fun of me like that, don't you?"

"The bald thing must have been a soft spot." Peter said and he quickly had to jump away because the Vulture was coming at him faster than before. His spider-sense flared up again but since was in the air he couldn't move himself fast enough before something heavy collided with him. His vision burred for a moment but he quickly recovered and managed to stop his falling by swinging around a building and landing on a lamp post. To his surprise their brief stunt has already attracted a big audience. People were standing around taking pictures with their phone, clearly oblivious to the dangerous situation.

"Greetings, fellow human beings! You should all get the HELL out of here because…" Peter didn't get to finish when a tingle went down his spine so he had to jump up to evade the attack from the crazy Vulture guy. _I hope this makes my point_ , he thought as he tried to attach a web line to his attackers back. Unfortunately, the Vulture turned out to be quite adaptable and used his sharp wings to cut the webbing which was no easy deed. This caused Peter to fall right on top of him. By instinct he punched him right in the face, carefully holding back so he wouldn't kill him. The biker helmet still cracked and the metal beak fell off. It was an improvement. He felt the warning of metal clawed legs approaching his back and jumped of the guy who surprisingly still managed to fly on a steady pace. _Those wings are no low-tech!_

"You pompous little brat!" bellowed the Vulture as he steadied himself and his helmet. _Pompous?_ Thought Peter as he evaded another attack. From the corner of his eyes he saw a bystander on the way of the evaded attack and quickly yanked him out of the way too with his webbing. He fell right on top of him wrapping his arms around him in fear.

"Hey dude, thanks for the hug. I needed that. But I have to go now. I'll call you later!" He said as he put the man down and jumped after the Vulture. Peter saw him looking back before his stare settled on the man Peter just saved. That meant two things. The first, this guy was worried that he might have accidentally killed someone innocent so he (probably) wasn't a complete lunatic. The second was that he wasn't looking where he was going which could only end in disaster. The latter proved absolutely true. The Vulture flew right into an office building which luckily was covered entirely by glass. Peter could see him break through the glass, stumble over some desks before he finally stopped and lay down on his back. The people in the office proved smarter than the ones down the street because they fled the scene as soon as they recovered from the shock. Spidey swung through the hole and watched with amusement as the Vulture tried and failed to regain his feet with is metal claws. It was ridiculous but Peter decided to approach this seriously because of the concern his enemy showed for the innocent guy. Or at least he tired.

"So baldy, why exactly did you attack Oscorp?" He asked when the Vulture (sort of) regained his feet.

"I'M NOT BALD!"

"That's a very poor reason" Peter replied and then he webbed him up before he could use his wings again.

"Ugh… You pompous, fucking brat!" He said as he struggled against the webbing "You understand nothing! I gave them thirty years of my life and when I lived up my use they got rid of me! That's the kind of people you're protecting."

 _That sounds dangerously close to the Norman Osborn I know. But saying that out loud would only encourage him. I need to find a way to dissolve his possibly murderous intentions._ Peter thought.

"Look, I'm just a concerned citizen and not Norman Osborn's bodyguard. And if that's what's happened to you, I'm sorry. But dressing up as a bird and going on a killing rampage can't be your only answer. You need to find a more peaceful way solve your problems. One that doesn't make you look like a lunatic, preferably. "

"Sais the kid in a red and blue skintight costume. Is that some kind of fetish these days?"

 _Don't let it bother you that he has a point!_ "If you don't listen to me then please listen to those nearing sirens. They will agree with me."

"I don't plan on waiting for them!" He said before his wings started to sound like an approaching hurricane. Peter felt the tingling and jump under a desk for cover before a sound like an explosion was heard and the air suddenly heated up. It was all over in an instant. When he stood up he found pieces of his web all over the place and a broken window on the other end of the office. _So he was no suicide bomber type. Then I guess we will see each other later._ He could hear policemen coming up the stairs so he decided to follow the Vultures lead and get the hell out of here. He was by the window when he heard the door open.

"Freeze! Don't take one more step or I'll be forced to shoot you." He heard someone say in a calm tone. When he turned his head he saw none-other than Captain freaking Stacy with his pistol levelled at him.

"Sorry for the mess, Cap. Your present unwrapped himself and escaped." Peter said before he realized that he was talking to someone who could identify his voice. He hoped his masked muffled enough of it so it'd be unrecognizable. If Captain Stacy realized who he was he hid it really well because he had shown no sign of it.

"I think you will be more than enough present for me." Said the captain as more policemen started to enter the room. Peter could now hear an approaching helicopter too. _And that is my cue to leave._ He quickly dived out of the window and aimed for the helicopter that finally appeared. He was happy to hear that no-one was shooting. As soon as he made contact he stuck to the bottom of the helicopter. He waited a few seconds while he planned his escape route and then jumped off, disappearing in the forest of skyscrapers. _Okay, I will count this as a half-win._

* * *

 _This was a complete failure!_ Adrien thought as he was trying to take off his metal claws. The left one was damaged badly, probably due to the collision with the office building. _I should have been way more careful .Now I'm a fucking mess._ It was mostly true. He had a few cracked ribs and maybe some broken too from the fight with that kid. His left ankle was dislocated and his nose wouldn't stop bleeding which probably meant that it was broken too. But the worst damage was on his back. In order to escape from that sticky spider-web resembling thing, he had to activate the supersonic functions of his glider. This is where it really showed that these things weren't intended to be on someone's back. The heat it projected nearly boiled the skin off of Adrien's back along with the webbing. He passed out for a few seconds during his escape and regained consensuses just in time to evade another collision with a building. He quickly flew home where he has been trying to treat his wounds while also being as high on painkillers as possible. It was having mixed results. The combination of the pain and drugs made him talk to himself.

"Well boy, you can laugh at me all you want. I might look like a dead man but soon the corps of Adrien Toomes will be devoured by my new self! Soon the true Vulture will be born!" He really should have got medical attention. Any kind, basically.

* * *

Betty Brant was trying her best to persuade someone to sell her a picture about what happened around the Oscorp Tower. Most of the eyewitnesses were currently being questioned by the police but even those who were free were reluctant to give her exclusive rights to their pictures. She even tried her sex appeal with some men but it only got a share, not exclusive rights. It hurt her self-confidence a little. Fortunately, she was able to get most of the story out of people she asked. Apparently the bird-looking fellow attacked Oscorp for some unknown reasons before a guy in a red and blue spandex stopped him. About him, she already knew. He was the Amazing Spider-Man, a recent urban legend of New York City. Except he wasn't just a legend anymore with multiple photos and possibly some security footage taken of him. What's even more amazing is that Betty's superior, and a little bit of crush, Ned Leeds was saved by him when he was reluctant to leave the scene. Ned was currently writing the story about him for the Daily Bugle, the city's most famous newspaper company, where they worked together. He asked Betty for the photo and some more info if she could find any. She was trying her best but she got nearly always the same answer. The guy sounded young, jumped at least 10 feet up in the air and swung around with spider-web. He easily beat the birdman up while trying to protect everyone but made quite a bit of property damage that made some people angry. Mostly those who got to the scene after the fight.

She was just about to give up on more information when she saw Captain Stacy exiting the damaged office building. He was alone and Betty felt that she probably wouldn't have a better chance so she quickly made her way towards him.

"Captain Stacy! Please wait, Captain Stacy" She shouted. He stopped on his tracks and turned around hesitantly. Betty noted that he looked like he was ready to jump a tiger so she tried to calm him down. "I'm Betty Brant from the Daily Bugle. Could you tell me about the incident that happened around Oscorp Tower?" She asked while turning on her recorder.

"This is an ongoing investigation. You, like everyone else, will get to hear everything from the official report." He said while fixing Betty with an icy stare. But, she noted, he didn't make any effort to resume his leave. _I guess he didn't survive this long by turning his back on anyone._

"Then I would like to get your opinion on this mysterious hero, Spider-Man." She asked, unwilling to give up just yet. For a moment the Captain's eyes narrowed before he resumed his blank, icy stare.

"Look, Miss Brant I don't know how you got to that conclusion but that man fled from a crime scene hiding his identity with a mask. That's usually something criminals do. While he truly saved some people along the way he still made plenty of property damage. Furthermore, since he fled, we have no way of knowing his true motives behind his actions. So please refrain from calling him a hero until he truly deserves that title." He said while apparently deciding that Betty was no threat and started to continue his way towards his car.

"So you think it's possible that he actually is a hero?" She asked but was ignored as he started to open the car's door. Unfortunately for him, Betty was persistent. " Don't you think that hiding one's identity is the only way someone can be a hero in this city?" She, of course, didn't really believe in that but she wanted to get his attention. Which she did! Captain Stacy stopped and slowly turned around. A small, sad smile appeared on his face.

"If the day ever comes when that will be the truth, then this city will truly be lost and I will be six feet underground. Good day, Miss Brant" He said before he got in his car and drove off. Betty stood there for a while and couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't want to live in a city like that.

* * *

 _Fuck this city!_ Peter thought with a great deal of disappointment. He has been searching for hours after his escape but he couldn't find any trace of the Vulture. He was already exhausted and he hadn't even started his night-time patrol yet. _I hope Aunt May didn't worry about me too much._ He thought as he opened the door.

"Hi Aunt May! I'm home!" He bellowed as he entered.

"Hi Peter! I'm in the kitchen." She answered happily. Peter quickly made his way towards the kitchen since the burger he ate after school wasn't even nearly enough after a fight like that. As soon as he entered he saw his Aunt making meatloaf with some deep-frozen fries taken out from the fridge. The loud groaning of Peter's stomach made his Aunt turn around.

"Hey, Sweetpie! How was your first day?" She asked lovingly.

 _Now how should I answer that?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter 3: Hiding in Plain Site

Schultz was the last one to arrive to their meeting place. It was early morning so traffic was a real bitch. As he opened the door he heard Montana talking about something he couldn't make out. _So, he was finally released from prison,_ thought Schultz a little disappointedly. As Montana got a glimpse of him, he gave him his trade mark shit-eating smile. Schultz almost sent him away but decided against it. _We need the whole team of Enforcers for this one_. He regretted his decision immediately as Montana spoke up.

"Howdy there partner! How's the shoulder?" He said with a smirk that made it really, really hard not to punch him in the face. Just the reminder of his bandaged shoulder made it itch again. He still had no idea what the knife was coated in and he didn't dare ask its owner.

"Good enough to rip your jaw out if you don't shut up." While he couldn't hurt him, threatening was the next best thing." Now sit down and listen up because we got an assignment!" He said while glancing at O'Hirn and Flint who were watching their previous exchange in amused silence.

"Do we have a lead on that Spider-fellow? Because I really wanna smack'im for last time!" Said Montana who only understood the sit down part.

"No, but it's related. While you were in prison for your big mouth, an idiot in a bird costume attacked the Oscorp Tower and got beaten up by the "spider-fellow". But unlike us, he had managed to escape. Since, he has spent the last week robing shipments from our higher-ups." Schultz started to explain " The original plan was to let the police or Spider-Man deal with him but things changed when last night he managed to get his hands on an important stolen jewel of the Chinese Triad. So our job is to find him, get the jewel, and preferably the stolen money back and discourage him from future actions."

"I like the last part!" Said an excited O'Hirn. " But do we have any leads on where he might be. I'm in no fucking mood to run around the city the whole night."

"His name is Adrian Toomes, according to Oscorp. The police already checked his apartment but it was empty. Since then, they have come up with a list of potential hiding places. We have to check these out." Replied Schultz as he handed them the list.

"Won't the police interfere?" Asked the usually quiet Flint. Schultz understood his concern. Flint didn't like hurting policemen and preferred to avoid crossing path with them altogether. Luckily, it wasn't a concern this time.

"I've been told that they have been ordered from above to cease investigation until we're finished."

"What about Captain Stacy?" Asked Flint who still wasn't really convinced. It was a good concern.

"The Captain is really busy, at the moment. Frank's body has just been found." Frank was also an employee of their Boss, and was responsible for receiving illegal shipments from abroad and delivering them safely. Until, of course, he messed up one too many times. "The Boss thought that he would serve as the perfect decoy to shift the Captain's attention from us. He won't bother us." Said Schultz with fake certainty and hoped that he was right.

"When do we start?" Asked Montana who looked just as excited as O'Hirn.

"Be ready in a few hours. By tonight, I want to know where the hell he is!"

* * *

 _Where the hell are you?_ Thought Peter as he was sitting in his biology class. He was staring at his Osberry looking for places Adrian Toomes, AKA the Vulture, could hide in. And failing miserably. He has been trying to find him for a week now with no apparent success. He was even at his house after the police has searched it but couldn't find any clue. To make it even worse the guy has been seen multiple times around the docks robing shipments that were possibly illegal. Peter has been at the docks yesterday and the day before that but not only he didn't find the guy, he didn't even see any shifty-looing people expecting something out of the legal system. It was infuriating because it required thinking, something Peter hadn't really failed at before. So he decided to spend the whole day thinking about it over and over again until he came up with something.

Luckily for him, he wasn't bothered even though he was sitting in front row seats. That might have been because the class, including the teacher, was still in some sort of shock. Fellow class member, Randy Robertson had an assignment about the general functions of DNA and RNA which he had to present orally. Which he did in twenty minutes with just as many words. It was incredibly weird. What's even weirder is that he still managed to sum up the subject properly and got an A-. Randy said so much with so few.

Peter was so desperate that was just about to google "good hiding places in New York" when he got a text from Harry who was sitting near the back of the class.

" _what r u looking for?"_

" _A life"_

" _xdd no but srsly"_ The sad thing is that his phone had autocorrect.

" _just bored"_ Peter typed but felt quite happy that it wasn't the case.

" _ok but just fyi prof warren been looking at u weird"_ Harry replied and true enough just as Peter looked up, he caught the eyes of Professor Aaron Warren turning away. But he didn't say anything until after the class when he called Peter over to him.

"Mr. Parker, was there perhaps something more interesting on your phone than biology class?" Asked Prof Warren with a knowing smile. He was aware that regular biology wasn't exactly challenging for Peter. "I've heard that you recently stepped back from the Accelerated High School program. May I ask why?"

Last year, Peter wanted nothing less than something challenging in his life. That's why he applied for a program that would let him finish high school faster so he could start his university years. That was, of course, before he became a masked superhero. Now Peter felt that his need for something challenging was being fulfilled and decided to stay in regular high school. But, obviously, he couldn't tell his teacher that.

"I just felt like I shouldn't rush things that much. And this way, I have time to study what I want at home." It was a clumsy excuse at best but Peter had to improvise and, apparently, he was only this good at it.

"I see. You know, Mr. Parker, it's natural if you feel unready for the big world out there so I won't push you on this. It's your decision and yours alone. But I think a little challenge wouldn't hurt. Have you thought about tutoring?"

"Well, I've been helping Harry out."

"Yes, and thanks to you, Mr. Osborn managed to get a solid B+ last year. But I thought maybe you could use your gift to help others, too."

 _Believe me, I've been trying._ "Do you have anyone particular in mind, Professor?"

"Elizabeth Allan." _Fantastic,_ Peter thought sarcastically "Her grades weren't that good last year so her parents decided to ask me to find someone who could help her. I was thinking of you."

"Well, I think I could try… "In truth Peter just wished that he could fight the Vulture again.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Professor Warren. "For that, I won't bother you if you feel like using your phone in class. "He said with a mischievous grin" Hell, I even overlook if you happen to be late a few times." He continued with a little laugh, thinking it impossible to ever happen. Professor Warren would certainly live to regret that last bit.

* * *

Gwen regretted nothing. She was currently leaning against the wall, next to the Principal's office, waiting for her dad who was inside. In her opinion, it was actually an accomplishment. It took her a week to misbehave this badly. Instead of being in class, she was caught smoking outside the building. She wanted to try it for a long time and history class seemed the perfect opportunity for her since she already learnt most of the subjects during the summer. As it turned out, smoking wasn't her thing. It tasted weird, made her lungs ache and she could barely stop coughing before she was caught. Still, at least now she knew that. But her dad and the teachers, apparently, decided to make a bigger deal out of this than it needed to be. So she was left outside while the big, wise grown-ups discussed her.

She was entertaining the idea of walking home by herself, instead of waiting, when she saw Peter Parker walking down the empty halfway focusing on a piece of paper in his hands. Skinny-Peter-Parker changed a lot during the summer and now looked like he swam across Lake Michigan regularly. Add to that fact that he, somehow, acquired a rather dark sense of humor and Gwen felt like she might actually start to like him. That was very rare.

"Hey there, Parker! What're you focusing on so much?" She asked which actually surprised her. She didn't really mean to get his attention. But she had it now.

"Oh.. Hi Gwen." Replied a bit startled Peter." It's ahm… it's Liz Allan's number." He said while holding up the piece of paper. _Well, I didn't expect that_.

"Professor Warren gave me her number." He clarified, probably seeing her confused expression.

"That's a weird way to pick up girls." She replied, seeing a possibility to tease him "But I think she's already taken."

"What? Noo.. No no no no no!" _That was one too many 'no'_. "I'm supposed to tutor her. It's just that… I don't really want to."

"Then don't."

"Well, I kinda promised I would."

"Then break it. It wouldn't hurt you to loosen up a bit."

"Sais the woman in front of the Principal's office." He said with a grin. _Woman?_ He hesitated a few seconds and Gwen thought it was because of his slip of tongue, before he asked.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Gwen felt that it was getting out of hand. _We aren't really talking buddies, Peter. I should stop this before he gets the wrong message._ That was the theory.

"I loosened up a bit." she replied and to her shock, she felt her mouth make a cocky smirk. _I really didn't mean that!_ She got scared even more when Peter returned that smirk. But before he could reply, the door of the Principals office opened and her dad stepped out. He didn't look happy. Unfortunately for Gwen, she was still wearing the same smirk which her father, of course, misunderstood.

"I see you're rather proud of yourself." He said coldly. The George Stacy cold was enough to freeze oxygen. Gwen wouldn't be surprised if the police actually used that as a unit of measurement. But she was used to it by now. It just made her angry.

"Oh, forgive me father for I have sinned." She said in a monotonic voice. "I hope you shall find forgiveness in your innocent heart and help me regain the pureness of my soul." She continued while keeping a furious eye contact with her dad. The first to turn away was, like always, him. She kept her eyes on him for a few more moments, studying his sad and a bit shameful expression, before she couldn't anymore, feeling a sudden pain in her chest that just made her even angrier. She quickly turned away from him just in time to see Peter who has turned around and was silently walking away. _Wise man_. Her dad must have followed her wandering look.

"Peter Parker, is that you?" he asked in a slightly lighter tone. Peter stopped mid-step and looked like someone just paused a video. He, then, turned around and, to Gwen's surprise, bowed before her dad a bit before talking. It was ridiculous.

"Ah, yes Ca… Mister Stacy, it's me. I just didn't want to interrupt the two of you so I thought…" Peter made excuses in a weird, and pretty forced, deep voice.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." George Stacy said with a sigh "Were the two of you talking before I came out?"

"You don't have to answer that!" Gwen interrupted quickly before he could reply. It's not that she was trying to hide something but she hated when her dad started digging into her private life. Her dad scowled at her before an amused expression appeared on his face.

"Are you his lawyer?" He asked while raising his left eyebrow.

"Does he need one?" She asked back and then they started glaring at each other again. Probably feeling very awkward, Peter made a fake coughing sound before he started talking. Or stuttering. In a deep voice. Completely ridiculous.

"I… I just ahm.. Remembered a thing. My thing!" Gwen smiled at that" My thing is… it's a pretty long…" Gwen couldn't help but laugh.

"STORY!" He clarified quickly, realizing the innuendo. "It's a long story but I have to go now."

"It's alright Peter. We were just leaving too." Her dad said with another deep sigh before pointedly glancing at Gwen. She just stared back at him challengingly. He shook his head, made his goodbyes and started to walk towards the exit. After a moment, Gwen started walking behind him and Peter went somewhere definitely not towards the exit. They got in her dad's car and he stared at her expectantly. She buckled up, crossed her arms and stared out the window. After a minute, George Stacy just exhaled deeply through his nose before starting the car. They spent the whole ride home in complete silence.

* * *

Silence was the key to their success. Schultz and his team were quietly creeping up to the basement of a warehouse that was owned by the New York City Harbor. It belonged to Oscorp fifteen years ago, was relatively close to the attack sites and had equipment that could monitor the incoming ships. But what tipped them off the most was the flying man who just entered the building with a bag of something a few minutes ago. That was a pretty huge clue. Although, apparently, not for everyone.

"So, do ya think that was him?" Asked Montana in a hushed tone and if Schultz had a silencer with him he'd have probably shot him in the face right there.

"No, that was just the mailman." Replied an equally frustrated O'Hirn.

"Don't use sarcasm on him." Added Schultz and smacked himself mentally for it. He knew what was coming.

"HEY, I ain't stupid! I was just askin' to make sure." Bellowed Montana a little too loud. Schultz started to consider just how loud a gunshot would be without a silencer.

"Just shut your mouth and cover the exits." He ordered instead. If their target heard them, they at least had to make sure that he wouldn't escape. Luckily, his loud mouthed partner seemed to understand that and moved to comply. Though, not without a bit of grumbling. He looked for possible escape routes while capably evading the light from the street lamps. Meanwhile Schultz and the rest of the team got to the entrance of the basement. Flint quickly used his lock-picking skills and it was open in less than half a minute. All three of them readied their guns and walked down the stairs. As they got lower, they saw light coming out of a half opened door and heard someone muttering, probably to himself. The words were slurry.

"… stupid childproof bottles… "Was the only thing that Schultz could make out. He heard a popping sound which probably meant that their target figured out how to open the bottle. _And here I thought only stupid people flew around the city dressed as birds_. They waited a few seconds before Schultz nodded and they moved in with quite bit of efficiency. O'Hirn, since he was the biggest, went for the target with a punch that could be felt from far out if it's way too. While Flint cached the birdman before he could hit the ground, readied their handcuff and cuffed him to a chair, Schultz looked for other possible assailants in the basement. There weren't any. Instead the place was filled with boxes and crates and a metal table which was full of weird gadgets. Like the metal wings and claws or the two metal gauntlets that looked newly made. Schultz instantly took a liking to those. While he tried them on, Adrien Toomes seemed to come back to his senses. His nose was bleeding, not surprisingly considering the force he was hit with, but he didn't seem to care. In fact, he looked insanely drugged which was confirmed when Flint held up a half-empty bottle of painkillers. There wasn't any glass of water around. _That's never a good sign_.

"Can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?" asked Schultz. He only got a confused look in response. Toomes looked like he was debating whether or not what he was seeing was real. O'Hirn got impatient quickly.

"Do you understand this?" He asked and slapped the back of his neck. A slap from him could bend steel bars. Still, the sheer strength of the scream that it got from Toomes was way too much. Flint must have saw that too, got his butterfly knife out and quickly cut away his T-shirt.

"Holly crap! No wonder the guy is high as balls on painkillers." O'Hirn remarked. He was right. Adrian's back was mostly bandaged, although obviously not very professionally. What little skin showed was badly burned and looked a bit like failed lasagna.

"How did he even use his wings?" Flint asked while studying his back. He looked a bit concerned. Toomes finally stopped his panting and started talking.

"Huh… It doesn't...huh… It doesn't hurt when… when I'm wearing it." His speech was slurry and heavy with pain. The pills could only do so much. "… the humming and… the warmth." At those last parts his eyes turned unfocused and his voice dreamy. They didn't have time for this. Schultz flicked his broken nose with is metal gauntlets to get his attention. He did get it and Flint's too, who scowled at him but did nothing to stop him from doing it again. He was professional.

"So, I'm…" He started to stay but heard footsteps coming down the stairs. All three of them turned quickly towards the door with their guns drawn only to see Montana descending.

"Did you kill a pig in here?" He asked as he entered. _So the scream could have been heard from the entrance of the warehouse, too. We need to watch out for that._

"Why are you not guarding us from outside?" Schultz asked not expecting anything even remotely relatable to a logical answer.

"Nobody's comin' and I wanted to be part of the fun." He replied. Schultz just sighed. He didn't want to waste any more time on this so he just turned back to Toomes.

"So, I'm pretty sure that you weren't exactly in the best set of mind when you went after our shipments but I'm gonna ask you anyway. Why did you do it?" It looked like he will have to flick his nose again before he finally answered.

"I needed medicine."

"Then why didn't you steal those."

"I… huh… I don't steal from hospitals." He replied. Schultz immediately glanced at Flint. He was studying the handcuffed man with growing concern.

"Flint, why don't you go up and take Montana's place?" It's not that he didn't trust Flint to torture the guy if needed but he would feel more horrible after this than usual. After a few moments, he just nodded and walked upstairs. "Montana, close the door."

While Montana did just that, Schultz nodded to O'Hirn who raised his hand. Instead of his usual stance where he punched with his knuckles, he flatted his hand and prepared to slap the lower back, in order to hurt a bigger surface. The scream that escaped from Toomes was just primal, with a little sob at the end. He probably passed out for a few moments before the pain brought him back. He looked up desperately at Schultz who held up the bottle of painkillers.

"If you cooperate this will be over quickly and you get these." He said" If not, you will get a back massage from the big guy behind you." _That sounded better in my head._

"Wh… what do you want?" He asked shakily. He looked really tired now.

"Yesterday, in the shipment you stole there was also an Amulet." Schultz flicked his nose again before he could lose focus. "It was made of Jade in shape of a tiger, like this big." He shoved the estimated size. "Where is it?"

"Jade Tiger Amulet… hihi…" Toomes looked completely out of it. Schultz nodded to O'Hirn again who started to slowly drag his nails all over their victim's exposed back. Like someone would do in a school board. The shriek that escaped Toomes only reinforced the metaphor. Although O'Hirn polished his nails regularly, it's required if you're in as much fist-fights as he is, the weak skin on Adrien's back easily split in two so Schultz asked him stop it. After that, Toomes did nothing but heave for a few seconds. Schultz let him, than asked again.

"Where is…" Before he could finish he was interrupted from upstairs, again. This time though, it seemed more urgent, judging from the voice of Flint.

"HE'S HERE!"

* * *

 _He's here!_ Peter thought excitedly. _I've finally found the Vulture._ He has been swinging around the warehouses near the docks ever since it got dark. His fight with the Vulture got him more than enough publicity for a while so he tried to do his physical research at night. He was considering which one to break into when he heard, with his super-hearing, an inhuman shriek from behind him. Or if it was human, the poor fellow was in really great pain. He quickly turned around to look for the source of the sound. It didn't take a minute for another scream to be heard. This time Peter could locate its source and also identify its owner since the scream was early similar to the one the Vulture made just before he escaped his webbing. He quickly assessed the warehouse finding at least two possible escape routes, more with the windows, before he saw a man standing guard. He would have normally waited to come up with a plan but it sounded like the Vulture was being tortured so he decided to go with a faster approach. Mid-jump he shot web at the guard's legs and head but the second one missed, hitting his shoulder instead. Peter pulled him away from the entrance as fast as he could but he still managed to shout.

"HE'S HERE!" It was the only thing he said before Peter managed to web his mouth. He left him hanging on a lamp post. He climbed up the wall and peaked in from one of the windows. The warehouse seemed mostly empty but there was a door leading down to a basement. That was problematic. Spider-Man had more advantage in open spaces. In such a tight spot he could mostly rely on his super-strength or maybe his spider-sense too but he wasn't a trained martial artist. If someone down there was, he would have a really hard time defeating them, much less rescuing and capturing the Vulture. Then there was also a question of how many. _Running in blind would be pretty suicidal. Maybe Piñata there can tell me something._ Peter thought and jumped back to his captive. On a closer inspection, he looked a bit familiar. Peter started poking his forehead which caused him to dangle.

"Ohhh, now I remember! You were one of the nice gentlemen escorting the lady. Such chivalry!" He stopped his dangling at got closer to his face. "Did you get my police costume?" His captive tried to head-butt him but Peter easily got out of his way. "No? Ah, then maybe one of your partners! There were four of you, right?" Some mumbling and struggling was his response. "'Key, got it! Thanks for the heads-up!" and with, that he approached the basement with new-found resolve. He stopped right before the door and then jumped up to the ceiling, sticking to it. Just in case.

"Guess who's here!" He exclaimed. It was followed by a shower of bullets, none of which got close to the ceiling. When the shooting stopped, he quickly broke down what was left of the door and knocked out the first person he saw. There were three others; a dude with some kind of gauntlets, a slightly bigger dude and a third one, cuffed to a chair. Mr. 'Slightly-bigger-dude' held his gun against the back of the head of the handcuffed guy, probably Vulture.

"If you come closer, he gets it!" He said, his voice shaking as much with fury as fear.

"You said something like that the last time we met. It didn't really work out for you" Peter replied, buying some time. Last time he had more advantage. This was more serious. Luckily, it seemed his opponents were afraid of him enough to stall for time.

"Look, we're only here because Mr. Toomes took something of ours. If we get it back, we won't cause you any trouble and you can take this guy to prison. Although, I would recommend a hospital first." The guy with the gauntlets said. Hearing how it sounded he quickly clarified. "We didn't do this to him. He was like that when we arrived."

 _This must have been the heat from the office building,_ Peter thought. While it looked like he was facing his addresser, because of his mask, he secretly kept an eye on the bigger one, looking for an opening. When there wasn't any, he decided to create one. His fighting pose disappeared and he let his arms loosen, which in return made his opponent mirror his moves, probably thinking that they convinced him. That's what he needed.

"Alright, in one condition." He paused while smirking under his mask." Did you bring my Halloween costume?" He then shot the hostage-holder with his webs as fast as he could and pulled him towards himself before kicking him to the wall with a spin. All the while, he webbed his other opponent's hands together with his left hand. He felt pretty proud until he heard some kind of buzzing sound. It was coming from the webbed up hands.

"Well, you seem excited." He said before he saw his web-fluid dissolve right in front of his eyes.

"Oh, so that's what they're for." Said the now free criminal, smirking. He quickly turned a switch and then aimed at Peter. He felt a tingle down his spine and jumped away a bit but wasn't prepared for the massive shockwave that hit him in the chest. All the air was knocked out his lungs, immediately. It pushed him right into the concrete wall and Peter was pretty sure a normal human would have died right there. As for him, it just hurt like hell. While trying to fill his lungs he shot another web at his opponent who in returned just fired his new toys again. Peter had to roll away but he couldn't rest. Another shockwave was shot at him and while he dodged that, the other one that came from the right gantlet was a direct hit, sending him flying. He flew to the back of the basement before he hit the ground behind a crate, when his vision cleared he saw something he didn't expect, much less sure that it wasn't a hallucination. He hit his head pretty hard.

She had platinum blond hair that was stylishly disheveled and went down to her waists. Her waist, and pretty much the rest of her body, which was (of course) covered with skintight black leather, was the perfect feminine representation of sex. To top it all off, her face was so innocently gorgeous, with a pair of mischievous eyes that were covered by goggles, that she was probably one of the major reasons why lust was considered a deadly sin. She was hiding behind another crate, looking right at him, quickly hiding her shock, before lifting a delicate, leather covered, finger to her mouth, telling him to stay quite. _Good advice, imaginary lady. First I should breathe, and only then talk._ He concentrated his whole being to suck in some air which was even more difficult with a mask covering his face. But he wouldn't take it off. It proved a good idea as his attacker suddenly stepped in front of him, looking right at Peter, clearly oblivious to the presence behind him. He was wearing a proud smirk.

"To think that a bit of shaking would be the end of the Amazing Spide…" From behind, a high-heeled boot contacted with his head, then his head with the wall, and then his unconscious body lay on the floor.

"Need a hand?" The imaginary-turned-very-real-woman asked Peter, offering said hand. Her voice was a perfect match for her body, so seductive that it even gave such a simple question a double meaning. Although Peter was grateful, he couldn't exactly afford to trust her before he knew more about her. So he stood up on his own, instead, which made him dizzy for a moment. He tried to hide it with every fiber of his being. She just smiled knowingly at him. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Thanks for the save, and all, but who are you, what are you doing here and how can you move like that in that getup?" Peter asked while trying very hard to maintain eye contact. She exposed a huge amount of cleavage that, Peter could have sworn, wasn't there before.

"Probably the same way as you." She replied glancing significantly at his costume. "As for why I'm here…" She held up a tiger shaped amulet. "I just couldn't keep my hands off of this. It's so perfect." She said with a smile that promised things a gentleman shouldn't think about. She then did a backflip and escaped through the cellar window, from which she probably came in. She squeezed through the narrow entrance by lifting her legs up to her head for better pushing force. Both of her legs. To her head. Holly. Shit.

Unfortunately, Peter didn't have time to travel down on that line of thought as he heard an all too familiar engine sound which made him turn. Apparently, through the entire ruckus, the Vulture managed to get out of his handcuffs and get his wings on his back.

"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU SPIDER-MAN!" He bellowed before crashing into Peter. They broke through the basement ceiling and then the warehouse window. They flew for a few moments before Peter finally woke up, only to find his attacker just as knocked out. He quickly strapped the wings off of him, which crashed into the sea a few seconds later. By then they were on the way to Metro-General Hospital, which was fairly close. Only after he took the Vulture there did he remember that there were other criminals at the scene. He made his way back to the warehouse as fast as he could, but by the time he got there, all four of them had escaped, probably using their leader's new toys. _What a disappointing ending._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter four: Aftershocks

Betty Brant felt an immeasurable triumph in her heart. Not only was she editing a story together with Ned Leeds but it was mostly due to her own efforts that they could write this one in the first place. Having an apartment relatively close to the harbor, she had heard the near destruction of the warehouse and got there before other press agents or even the police could. She was one of the firsts on the scene and managed to ask around the eyewitnesses, gathering enough information of what had happened. It probably helped that she was only wearing a nightgown under her bathrobe with a pair of fluffy slippers. She was in a hurry, don't judge her. Anyway, she had gathered from these reports that Spider-man was on the scene and had a rematch with Adrian Toomes. They had crashed through the already crumbling wall of a warehouse where Mr. Toomes had, apparently, been hiding for the past week. Some even said that they heard screams coming form that direction before they broke through.

She took in every detail and made some photos before running off to Metro General Hospital where, according to a half-sober guy, Spider-man was heading. It wasn't the most reliable source of information but she didn't have any other leads. Luckily, it turned out to be true, although, by the time she arrived, the police had already got there. Still she managed to confirm what she already suspected; Spider-man took Mr. Toomes to the hospital after he defeated him. That meant that he wasn't just a maniac but someone who genuinely cared about other people's health. Even if that someone was a criminal.

She was currently editing tomorrow's, or technically today's since it was already two in the morning, article for the Daily Bugle in Ned's office while he was talking on the phone, outside, with someone. As soon as she called him about what happened he became as excited about the story as she was. They have been at it for an hour and a half by now but Betty was so pumped up that she didn't even need any coffee to stay awake. She had changed her outfit though, to something more appropriate for work. She just finished a sentence about vigilantism in New York when Ned finally came back and closed the door behind him with a sigh. Betty quickly looked up.

"That took a long time."

"I had more than one phone call. The last was Mr. Jameson." Ned said with another sigh as he leaned against the closed door. Betty was shocked. She knew that this story got Ned excited but not so much to call their boss, J. Jonah Jameson, in the middle of the night. Well, it turned out it did.

"Oh. What did he say?" She asked when he didn't seem to continue.

"Well… he threatened me for calling him this early in the morning." He answered finally with a smile. "Or, at least, I think he did because he shouted so loud in the phone I'm pretty sure I got tinnitus. Anyway, after that I explained him the situation and he told me to hold off the article for now. He wants to check it over personally. We just have to sum up whatever info we gathered so far." He said while walking to the coffee machine. He bought a black espresso without any milk and little sugar before looking expectantly at Betty. Her enthusiasm had mostly died down because of the orders they got so she nodded. He bought a long latte with lots of brown sugar. _He remembers how I drink it!_ She thought happily. He brought both drinks with him, settled down next to her and started reading what Betty had written.

"Don't bother. We have to delete it." She said while trying to hide her happiness for how close he was leaning to her.

"No. It's good. We keep it. Who knows, we might use this anyway." He said while he continued reading. Betty was happy he didn't see the blush on her face. When he finished he saved it and opened a new page to write down all the major information they knew. Most of it was what Betty had gathered but there were a few new ones as well.

"How do you know Toomes' back is burned?" She asked.

"The nurse who treated him told me. She's a friend. But don't tell anyone."

"Wow. How did you convince her to tell you that?"

"We're… close." He said with a significant pause. Betty's heart skipped a beat with that pause. But it wasn't time for that. _Don't let it distract you, Betty!_

"What else did she tell you?" She asked him, carefully making her voice neutral.

"A few things. The burns are at least a week old, he was nearly overdosed on painkillers, his nose was broken, he's still unconscious and, apparently, Spider-man said 'I had a bone to pick with this Vulture, take care of him' when he brought him in." He explained while simultaneously writing down what he said. _Freaking puns ._ Betty thought, chuckling a bit.

"Why Vulture?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's bald" He said nonchalantly. After a few moments of silence Betty got a terrible thought in her head.

"So… these wounds… do you think Spider-man did them?" She asked carefully.

"What? No! Not you too, please. There was an explosion at the scene last week that helped the Vulture's escape. He probably caused them himself." Now _you're calling him that too?_ "Besides, I got a pretty good look at Spider-man when he saved me. He didn't carry any explosives."

"Maybe it's one of his powers." Betty insisted, a little angered by his rebuke.

"You sound like Jameson. Don't you feel the need to smoke a cigar and drink during work?" He joked to ease the mood. Betty decided to follow suit.

"Yeah, but then you'll be my Mr. Robertson telling me constantly to 'keep it down bit', 'don't shout while you drink or you'll choke' or 'have you taken your blood pressure medication'."

"Have you been eavesdropping on them?" Asked Ned a little teasingly.

"Maybe…" She answered sheepishly "I mean it's not that hard. Mr. Jameson is pretty loud. Especially about Spider-man."

"Yeah, why do you think that is, though?" he asked suddenly serious.

"I have no idea. It's probably just his usual…" She didn't get to finish because Ned interrupted her.

"No! It's different. You haven't been working here that long so you can't see it but I can." He said intently. "It's more than his usual outbursts. He didn't even accept any news of him until last week's incident. And ever since, he's been shouting practically nothing but 'menace'. I haven't seen him this stubborn, ever. There's so much determination in his eyes when he talks about him. It's like he wants him to be a menace…"

"Wow. You have gone all investigative reporter, all of a sudden." She joked to calm him down. "Why do you care so much?" He seemed to consider it for a few moments before answering.

"It's just a hunch. But bad press can do a lot of damage to anyone, no matter their intentions. And ours is the most respected newspaper out there. I don't want to be responsible for a false witch-hunt." He said solemnly. Betty wanted to agree but a question kept nagging her. _Is it truly false?_

* * *

 _It's the true stuff! True power! Finally!_ Schultz thought as he fired his new pair of favorite things in the world, again. He just destroyed the forth box bag in a row with only pure shockwave. It was unbelievable. He spent his whole day testing these shockwave gauntlets much to his partners' annoyance. He loved everything about these gauntlets from their slightly oversized head-shapes to the tiny chargers at the bottom. It was a USB port which he found convenient and ridiculous at the same time. He also found out that at maximum power it can even destroy a metal safe. The very one where they (used to) keep their hard earned money and other valuables. But what intrigued him the most was its lowest setting. It was vibrating so hard that it had melted Spider-man's web! That was invaluable. He won't have to fear the freak anymore. Balance was back on the streets. Unfortunately, as usual, he couldn't enjoy himself for long because Montana came in, still sporting a gigantic black-eye after last night.

"Not even a bit sorry to interrupt but we've visitors." He grumbled. He was equally mad about being knocked out at the beginning of the fight and not getting those gauntlets himself. The constant shockwaves probably didn't help his pounding head either. Schultz has never enjoyed someone's misery this much.

"Who'd that be?" He asked not even trying to hide the smirk that crept across his face.

"The Boss." Montana answered and then couldn't keep himself from laughing at Schultz' sudden change of expression. _This can't go well_. He quickly hid his hands behind his back as he faced the door.

The first four people that came in were wearing identical black suits and looked like they rehearsed very frequently the art of 'coming in slightly threatening through the door'. They were followed by Flint who, although keeping a neutral face, was still very frightened judging by the fact that he put his hands in his pockets to hide the trembling. After him came their big-bad-Boss, Joseph (last name obviously fake) Hammerhead, who looked anything but happy. He was a big man in his late fifties but still had a shoulder around the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and a forehead that nearly matched it. What it was filled with was another question because it sure as hell wasn't only brains. Most assumed that it was a birth disorder, which if true then Schultz felt sorry for his mother, but some said that he surgically put in a few metal plates so he could show his dominance by head-butting anyone who disagreed with him. An unusual but certainly effective tactic. Schultz just hoped that he wouldn't receive that special treatment, today.

When Hammerhead's eyes focused on Schultz he scowled, which looked like an old actor trying his best even though the Botox wouldn't let him, but didn't say a word. In truth he seemed a bit tense for some reason. _Does he already know about my gauntlets? But how?_ That turned out to be not the case, however, when The Woman entered the room as well, her greyish silver hair being loose for a change. She, somehow, managed to move relaxed and like a hungry predator that's ready to jump, at the same time. Or maybe it was just Schultz' imagination. He certainly pictured her like one. She came to an abrupt stop, after scanning their hideout with her vivid blue eyes, next to Hammerhead and focused her attention on Schultz. He did not like that one bit. His shoulder wound started itching ferociously and he needed every bit of will power not to show weakness by reaching there and scratching it. The awkward silence was stretching a little too far so Schultz decided to break it.

"Good afternoon Ma'am, Sir" He deliberately ignored the bodyguards. "What can I help you with?" It was a stupid question. He was hoping he would have a few days before they came knocking and by that time he could solve their problem or come up with a plausible excuse. The Woman remained silent, her gaze never wavering even for a bit. It was Hammerhead who answered instead.

"You know fucking well why we're here Schultz, don't play dumb!" He said only raising his voice a little but that was frightening enough. "The news about your last night adventure is everywhere and since you hadn't made contact with me I can only think of two options. The first: you've failed your job, again." He said while holding up a finger as if Schultz couldn't count. "The second: You're trying to steal the amulet. Neither one is really good for you. So, will you tell me which one or should I toss up a coin to decide?" He knew he needed to answer quickly.

"The first one, Sir and I'm deeply sorry for that. But, just like the news said, Spider-man interfered again and took the amulet from us." He wasn't exactly sure about the last part. He still had no idea who knocked him out from behind when he nearly got rid of that freaking wall crawler. But it was a passable excuse, he hoped.

"This one again? What, is that the new 'not my fault' defense and nobody told me?" His Boss asked mockingly. Schultz was becoming angry. Every newspaper mentioned Spider-man being there. That's how it got picked up in the first place. He was being toyed with to learn his place. He hated it more than anything. But before he could have said something really stupid _she_ spoke up.

"If Spider-man took it from you, then how did you manage to escape from his web before the police showed up?" She asked suspiciously, her gaze locking in his own, offering no escape. He didn't want to reveal his gauntlets just yet but couldn't come with any excuse to that either. Flint, probably seeing his hesitation, came to his rescue.

"He just knocked us out and took off with the amulet, Ma'am." He said in his most convincing tone that could usually calm anyone. Not this time, though. She moved like a snake, one moment completely motionless and the next she raised her left leg up Flint's neck and then pressed him against the wall with the tip of her high-heeled boot. All this while maintaining her composure and grace, standing on only one leg. She slowly turned her head towards a nearly suffocating Flint and fixed him with her eyes. Then a little smile touched the corner of her mouth.

"It wasn't a bad lie. Quite believable, actually. But you told it to the wrong person, Flint Marko. Don't be this careless. I know that your life is not the most precious thing I can take away from you." She said and the last part caused Flint to pale almost inhumanly fast. Schultz was conflicted. On one hand he didn't want to lose his gauntlets. On the other, Flint lied for him which caused this whole hysteria. He still wasn't experienced enough with his new accessories that he could take out this many people. Besides, Flint would get hurt in and he had already saved him from this chick once. He needed to repay that debt.

"It was because of these, Ma'am." He said as he slowly revealed his hands from behind his back. He quickly ran through how he got them and what these could do. Nobody moved while he explained but he could see that the pressure eased a little on Flint's throat. After a very long minute, Hammerhead finally spoke up.

"At least, it wasn't a complete failure." He said nonchalantly but it was clearly visibly how excited he was about the gauntlets. "Well, take'em down, slowly, and give them to me as collateral." Schultz feared that the most. He hated it with every fiber of his being but started to comply.

"Wait!" Said the woman still using only one leg to stand, gracefully. "How well can you use them?" She asked while tilting her head a bit to the left. It was his only chance.

"I nearly took out Spider-man and that was the first time I tried these on. After a little exercise I can be rid of him. These feel so natural on me." He might have sounded a little pleading but he really didn't want to lose these. Apparently nor did Hammerhead.

"Bullsh…" He was silenced by the woman lifting up a finger. One finger. Silencing his big Boss. Schultz was aware that this woman worked only for whoever Hammerhead worked for but he didn't know that she had this much authority over him, too. He tried really hard not to laugh.

"Alright, then prove it. You can keep them but you get a new assignment." She said while lowering her leg, finally freeing Flint who slid down the wall. She didn't even glance at him as she told them their new job. "Bring me Spider-man's head."

* * *

Peter's head was still spinning a bit. The previous night really did a number on him and even his superhuman regeneration wasn't enough for this. Putting aside that he had several bruises and cracked ribs, he was pretty sure he had a concussion. After his adrenaline died down, he was happy that he could find his house, last night because he was seeing stars left and right on the way home. He started this morning by barely making it to the toilet before throwing up, which is not exactly the best way to wake up. He made sure that his Aunt May wouldn't find out about that, though. But he still couldn't stomach his breakfast and the loud clanging of the cutleries was enough to send him running through the door, heading for school on foot. He hoped the fresh air would clear his head a bit. It didn't. He spent his whole day fighting down nausea and staying away from heave sources of light or sound. That didn't stop his ears from ringing, though.

He was currently sitting on a bench at the back of the schoolyard under the shadow of a giant oak, hoping to get some quiet and peace after this terrible day. It was already afternoon so he assumed most people already went home. It was so fitting for this day that he was wrong.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're hung over." Said cheerfully Harry as he approached. He sat down next to him and waited for conformation. When it didn't come he spoke up again. "So, what's with you?"

"Yeah, hangover. Aunt May and I threw the wildest party of the decade last night." Peter replied while rubbing his head. Harry forced a little chuckle out, probably picking up on the fact that Peter didn't want to tell the truth. So he didn't push and they sat there in silence for a few minutes before Harry spoke again.

"Liz Allen's coming here." He said while inclining his head towards her. _Does she have Aspirin? Because if not, I don't really care right now._ She stopped in front of them and said hi. Harry replied a bit confused but Peter only waved his right hand.

"So, Prof Warren said that you will be my tutor, Peter." She said breaking the awkward silence. He just nodded twice which caused him to fell even dizzier. Harry, though, saved him from having to actually speak.

"Oh, then you're lucky. This guy could teach me accounting, too if I felt masochistic enough to ask." He said while tapping Peter's shoulder.

"Ahham, but can he talk or will we need you as a translator?" She asked, sounding a little annoyed. Harry pinched his shoulder a bit. Peter looked up at that to see her scowling a little at him.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling well. Maybe it's the weather." He answered finally. The sky was as clean as possible and the forecast didn't say any changes for the next few days, although Peter still felt a bit cold for some reason. _Not my best excuse._

"Oh yeah, that can suck." Said a deep masculine voice and Peter glanced to his right only to see Flash Thompson approaching. "I can sometimes feel the bad weather coming, too. Though, it usually happens to me on Saturday mornings." He said with a knowing smirk as he stopped next to Liz and put his right hand on her lower back gently.

"I'm so sorry, Peter. I didn't know you were hangover!" Liz said quickly with genuine concern in her voice. "I hate it when it happens, too" _She's saying that like it's really that big of a deal_. He wasn't but decided to go with that excuse. Or rather, the others decided for him.

"Yeah, but I don't think Parker is as used to it as someone I know." Flash said while tickling her waist causing Liz to yelp. And then a nuke went off. At least, Peter could've sworn it did as the high-pitched yelp nearly made him loose consciousness. For a few moments he could only see shades and then his vision came running back only to realize that he had been staring at Flash who was tickling Liz's neck with his nose. Eager to wrap things up here he made himself talk.

"So are you free tonight?" He asked quickly, causing Liz to stop giggling.

"Are you sure you're okay enough?" She asked back tentatively.

"Yep. It would do me good if I could focus on something else." He replied honestly. Liz, though visibly hesitated.

"Well, it's just… tonight is not really…" She glanced at Flash for some help, blushing a bit. He just stared at her for a second before turning to Peter.

"Her parents aren't home tonight." He said simply. Liz blushed furiously, Flash smirked, and Harry chuckled a bit. Peter only nodded. _A simple no would've been enough._

"Alright. How about tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that would be okay, I guess. Around five, maybe?" Peter nodded

"It's set, then" He said and started to stand up to make his escape but, apparently, the universe didn't want him freed just yet.

"Wow, there Tiger! Setting up a date while her boyfriend's right here. Now, that's what I call bold." Announced herself Mary Jane in her usual teasing manner as he came up behind the still half-sitting Peter and leaned on his shoulder. Peter started to lose hope of ever escaping. Harry scowled a bit at Peter for not getting her attention himself while the happy couple in front of them was bit taken aback by MJ's words. She must have found that very amusing because she started laughing, loudly. The only problem was that the sound came right next to Peter's ear that practically sent him jerking it away. The sudden motion, however, caused his nausea to overload and he soon found himself running in the school hallway, having no memory of standing up from the bench, looking for a bathroom. He must have found one because his next memory was him hugging a toilet, like a little girl her favorite teddy bear. _What a weird comparison._ He tasted a bit of bile in his mouth and realized that he was shaking furiously. He wasn't sure how long he was lying like that, trembling on the floor before he felt a hand touch his arm.

"Oh my god, Peter! Can you hear me? What happened?" Demanded a clearly upset Mary Jane who must have come looking for him after his impromptu escape. She hauled him to a sitting position and touched his forehead. "Shit, you're burning up. What's going on, Peter?" She continued asking and when she didn't get an answer, she held up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"That wasn't funny when I had glasses, either." He replied and it surprised him how weak his voice was.

"I never teased you with that." She retorted but a little smile appeared on her worrying face. "But, at least, you can still joke around. What happened to you?" She put her hand back on his forehead. "God, you're so hot."

"You're not bad, yourself." Peter heard someone say that before realizing that it was his own voice, although a bit shaky. _So, it's official. My fever-high isn't any better than my adrenalin-high_. To his surprise she just chuckled.

"You can't see well so it doesn't count. But you're getting dehydrated." She opened her bag that she put on the floor sometime before and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here, drink this!"

"You're not trying to drug me to take advantage, are you?" Peter asked while taking away the bottle. _As soon as I get home, I'm sawing my mouth together_. He opened the bottle, took a sip, cleaned his mouth, spit it into the toilet and then jugged down the rest. He really was thirsty.

"Can you stand up?"

"Of course, I can!" Peter said and tried to prove his point. He remembered standing for a moment before his vision went blank and the next thing he saw was that they somehow managed to exit the toilet booth and were now standing next to a sink. Or rather MJ was, while she eased him back to the ground. Something else didn't feel right for Peter, though. He thought frantically for a few moments before realizing.

"MJ, what are you doing in the men's room?"

"Nothing, you are in the women's room." And soon enough Peter could see that there were only toilet boots and no urinals.

"Stupid rooms switching places." He grumbled as he sat up slowly. MJ chuckled again but her expression was still very concerned.

"I'm gonna go find the school nurse. You stay put here. I'll call May on the way, too." She said while turning away. Something snapped in Peter, at the last sentence. He found himself reaching for her wrist faster than he thought possible and jerked her back.

"No! Don't tell Aunt May." He shrieked. The next thing he realized, however, was that MJ was now on top of him while he still held her wrist. He must have pulled harder then he thought. Her face was only a few inches away from his and he was looking right into her emerald green eyes with those little star shapes in the middle. Later, Peter will wonder if he really saw her blush or it was just his fever-cooked brain that made him see that. He will also wonder if he really felt her pulse getting higher on her wrist but he won't be sure of that either. At that moment, though the only thing that mattered to him was the fact that he had to stop her from telling his aunt anything. He focused as hard as he could and stared into her eyes intently.

"Please, don't tell her about this. I know this looks bad but I want to deal with this myself. She already has so much to worry about. Don't give her more. Please, MJ, promise me you won't tell her what happened today." He said in a surprisingly lucid voice. He had no idea he still had this much willpower. MJ was still a bit shocked before her expression turned serious. She studied his face for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Alright, I won't. I promise. But if this keeps happening I won't have any other choice."

"It won't" Peter promised. He started to realize their awkward position. MJ saw that but only smirked before getting off of him while slowly pulling him up with her. When Peter stood up he felt a little dizzy again but it soon passed.

"See, already better." He said cheerfully. She looked at him skeptically, raising her hand against his forehead and then down to his cheek.

"You're still a little warm." She observed, and then smirked. "But maybe you're just embarrassed." She teased before taking hold of his hand and leading him to the exit.

Since it was that kind of day, as soon as they left the women's room they came face to face with Gwen Stacy whose jaw nearly hit her ankle. The situation was… equivocal to say the least. They were holding hands, Peter was sweaty, MJ's hair was a little unruly after her fall and they had been in a school bathroom, alone. There were only a few ways that could be interpreted. They stood there for a few seconds in an awkward silence. Then, to Peter's shock, MJ smiled teasingly, winked at Gwen, kissed Peter on the cheek before turning around and walking away while waving goodbye with her delicate fingers. He just stood there staring at her back. Then, taking control of his emotions turned back to Gwen who was now scowling at him.

"I'm really sorry if I interrupted your fuck-session." She snarled sarcastically. She appeared angry, for some reason. Peter wanted to say that she didn't but, apparently, his brain hadn't made a connection his mouth yet.

"Apology accepted." He deadpanned. Gwen just blinked twice at the reply and then headed for the bathroom. She stopped, though, at the door and looked back at Peter.

"Is it safe for me to go in? Or should I choose another one?" She asked mockingly. Peter felt tired after these two days so he decided just leave. His mouth, however, couldn't keep itself from commenting.

"I don't know. But don't forget to wear protection if you enter." And with that he left leaving a shocked Gwen behind. While walking home, he started to make a list. _Fist thing's first, I need a needle. I'll use my homemade web to sew my stupid mouth shut, for good. Then I'm staying as far away from sign language courses as possible. There is no other way. I need to stop communicating with people._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter five: Inner Drive

"Have ya come up with a plan, yet?" Montana asked as he leaned against the doorframe. His forced accent never left but his voice carried a worrisome tone. That pretty much described how bad the situation was. Schultz shook his head tiredly. They have been given a job. Kill Spider-man. When Schultz promised he could do it, he believed every word he said. He was desperate and still a bit high on his newfound powers. Now though, after looking through the details of their previous fight he realized that things were far, very far from easy. The last time he had two major advantages. The shockwave gauntlets, being an unknown quantity, caught Spider-man off guard and they were locked in a closed space. Next time, however, only the second advantage would be usable and even that was highly improbable. He needed to come up with a plan, involving his gauntlets, which would give him the upper hand, again. And fast because he had been given a deadline. He had gotten the command on Tuesday afternoon and had to do it by Thursday morning. A very narrow time period, in his opinion.

So he stayed up all night, trying to find way to choose and prepare a scene where he could get the target's attention to lure him there, devise an attack strategy, overpower him, and cover any escape routes so he wouldn't run away. So far, he had a few ideas which were passable but nothing certain yet and it was already… what? He glanced at his watch, his vision a bit blurry from lack of sleep, and gasped. 7 a.m. Wednesday. He needed to work faster. He needed to think faster. He needed coffee.

He stood up, walked by Montana, who by some miracle remained silent, and went to the coffee machine that made a truly terrible product but it served his mood perfectly right now. He made one, poured it into his mug without any sugar or milk and took a big gulp from it. It was, as one would expect, hot as hell and burned his tongue which infuriated him so much that he threw the half-empty jug at the wall where it shattered, leaving a big shapeless coffee stain on it. Schultz shouted in frustration and then threw another jug at the wall, this one empty. He would have kept throwing them if Montana didn't stop his arm mid-air.

"This ain't gettin' us any closer to the solution!" He shouted. They stared at each other furiously for a few seconds, then Schultz freed himself from his grip.

"Easy for you, shithead! It's not your ass on the line." He said while walking towards the only couch in their hideout.

"You're so fuckin' selfish, ain't ya?" Montana said to his back which made him stop on his track and turn around. "You think if you fuck this up, it only gonna be you who's swimmin' with concrete shoes? Lemme clear your mind, then. You ain't!" He finished and then scwoled angrily at Schultz who just stood there, feeling dumb. _He's right. I am selfish. Shit, Montana is right. Things are worst then I thought_. He mused and it made him smile a bit. Then he nodded to his fellow Enforcer.

"Thanks for clearing up my head."

"Don' mention it." Montana replied before sitting on the couch himself. "Relax! We'll nail this freak tonight." He probably wanted to say something else but the front door suddenly opened revealing Flint Marko.

After yesterday's excitements, Flint went to the hospital to get a neck fix and to check on O'Hirn who was still recovering from their last meeting with Spider-man. His doctor said that he would be out in a few days but it meant there were only going to be three Enforcers for this job. Schultz thought about asking Flint to stay out of it too, considering his neck injury, but they already were in a disadvantage. Besides, he probably would have refused it anyway. He couldn't afford to fail, either. The fact that he showed up this early only proved that further. He was carrying a large paper bag with him.

"Did you get it?" Asked Montana as soon as he saw him enter. Flint just nodded that made Montana grin. _What are they talking about?_ It was quickly discovered as the paper bag was emptied on the table, revealing a yellow-red leather biker suit, a fitting leather mask and a bottle of something.

"Ohm, what's that for?" Schultz asked carefully, a sudden unease entering his mind.

"This is your costume!" Montana exclaimed with his trademark shit-eating smile.

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!" He answered and, somehow, his grin grew even wider. But before Schultz could protest, Flint spoke up.

"It's necessary. Just hear me out, please." He said. Schultz was still reluctant but nodded. "Whenever Spider-man went up against everyday street thugs, he quickly webbed them up and then moved on. But, when he fought Adrian Toomes, he stuck around longer and made a great effort to track him down. He even nicknamed him the Vulture. It seems he is more fascinated with costumed 'villains' than normal criminals, so we thought, this way you'd have a better chance getting and keeping his attention." Flint explained. Schultz tried to find a fault in his logic, really hard, but had to admit that it was a pretty solid assumption. In any case, it was the best one they got, although he still didn't like it.

"Why the colors, though?" he pouted which sounded a little childish even to him. The others could see that he accepted his fate. He took hold of his new leather mask, feeling it up when Montana spoke up next to him.

"Ohm, Marko… why the hell did you bring lube?" He asked mockingly. "I know we wanna get lucky tonight but this ain't what…"

"It's a leather lubricant." Flint interrupted his tone a bit irritated. "I don't really know what Spider-man's web is made of but if we cover the suit with this, it probably decreases the chance of him catching you with it."

"Wow, good thinkin'" complimented Montana and Schultz had to agree with him. Now, their undertaking didn't seem so impossible. _Alright, tonight it'll be all over._

* * *

 _I wish it was over already_. Gwen thought as she finished her first lesson of the day. Literature, like most of the others, was an easy subject for her but it didn't mean that she actually enjoyed it. However, that wasn't the reason behind her gloomy mood today. It was what happened yesterday. What made it even worse, was the fact that she was also in weird state between denial and realization, with the latter slowly winning. She liked Peter Parker. That way. It was something, she found incomprehensible. Until the start of this schoolyear, the two of them hadn't really interacted. They knew of each other, as they were both top students of their classes and because his now late Uncle Ben and her Father were friends but that's mostly it. She only went to Mr. Ben's funeral out of respect for a deceased friend of the family rather than as a support for Peter. Neither of them participated in any school contests either, mostly because he seemed too awkward and she found no fun in being judged by, and participating with, uptight assholes. Not exactly team-players, either of them.

Something changed with him during the summer, however, that ultimately resulted in her seeing him in different light. It wasn't only because of their few conversations and his newfound dark sense of humor. Gwen constantly found herself watching him, the way he moved, still indifferent towards high-school life but somehow more purposeful and driven, probably by something else. But it wasn't only that, either. There was something about him that was… unnatural, in a certain sense. It felt like raw power was radiating from him, and not just because he had become a bit muscular. It was a more primal, inner power, like something one would expect from a wild predator which is pretty contradictory from a person as awkward as him. She'd say it was his new aura if she had ever believed in bullshit like that. She couldn't put her finger on how but she just felt it and it intrigued her. Which lead to her current dilemma; what now?

To complicate things, the same event that led her to this realization was the reason she was feeling bad now. _In a school toilet of all things!_ What was even more infuriating is that they didn't seem to mind the fact that they were caught. Mary Jane even winked at her! _Why her, though?_ Before this incident, Gwen had sort of respected her. She was carefree, not-full of herself and her popularity didn't come from being a sniffy bitch or a sycophant of one. She, of course, heard some rumors about her being a slut but didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that some assholes were just being assholes. So it shocked her even more when it turned out to be true. _Why did it have to be these two?_ She was deep in her thoughts when she suddenly bumped into someone. It started to become a regular thing.

"Oh, sorry Gwen. I wasn't looking where I was going." Said Harry Osborn nervously. She had that effect on most of the school populace.

"It's alright. It was my fault, anyway." She replied melancholically. He suddenly had a very confused expression on his face. He was probably expecting her to go ape-shit crazy on him. Normally, she would have but she didn't feel like it today. Then an idea struck her. "Hey… have you seen Peter today?"

"Peter?" Asked Harry back, still a bit anxious. "Yeah, we had class together. We just separated a minute age. Why?"

"I was just…" She mumbled _. Okay, Gwen it's just a stupid crush, don't make it bigger than it needs to be! Say 'it's nothing' and then go on!_ "Was he alone?" _Damn it!_

"Well, I hope so since he went to the bathroom." He answered, probably trying to joke. It had the opposite effect. Gwen felt her expression turn into a scowl which caused Harry to make a not-so-manly whimper. She then turned around and left. A moment later she realized that she was going in the wrong direction but she didn't want to diminish her furious exit so she just walked on, deciding to skip the next class. She wasn't in the mood for chemistry, anyway _. I'm so pretentious._ She spent the rest of the day sulking around like that before finally giving up and going home after the fifth class _. Well, its official, I'm just like the rest of them. Now I can hate myself too. Good to know._

* * *

 _I'd rather not know that._ Peter thought after reading about himself in the Daily Bugle. Apparently, he was being marketed as 'the city's greatest menace' by non-other than J. Jonah Jameson himself. He was also being accused of causing all the injuries on the Vulture. _It's a good thing I don't do this for fame._ He thought sourly as he walked in the city towards the coffee shop where was supposed to meet Liz Allan. He, honestly, hadn't prepared anything for his tutoring, thinking that he would make it up as they went along. _It worked with Harry_.

His thought process was however interrupted as his phone started beeping in a pretty certain way. It was a radio signal from the police. He had decided to upgrade his phone in a few ways, not long after he became Spider-man, to be able to intercept police emergency signals. It wasn't perfect, in fact it was pretty unreliable, but occasionally it worked and helped him get to the crime scene before the criminals could scatter. He suspected the police was 'asked' to ignore some of the criminal activities so he wasn't even disturbed most of the time. He hoped that would be the case this time too as he checked what it was. Robbery in progress. _Nothing fancy, I can wrap it up quickly and still be fashionably late from my tutoring._ He thought, slipping into an alley so he could change into his costume. It was easier than one might think. He then started to swing as fast as he could for the direction displayed on his phone. He tried to remain out of sight, though. He felt he had enough publicity for a while.

He arrived just in time to see the attacked deli's window break by something. He jumped on the wall of an abandoned theatre, which was located on the other side of the narrow street, to assess the situation. It turned out to be a good idea when he saw a man wearing a black ski-mask talk into a walkie-talkie on the roof of the deli. _So, they left a sentry_. But when the look-out man saw him he didn't panic which made Spider-man hesitate. _Were they expecting me? Is it a surprise party just for me?_

His silent question was quickly answered as the other window of the shop burst into millions of splinters and a man stepped out. He was wearing a red and yellow motor suit with a fitting mask that only showed his eyes. Also he had abnormally big forearms. He started looking around, searching before his gaze landed on Peter.

"Dissatisfied costumer?" Spider-man asked loudly. He received an answer in the form of an all-too familiar shockwave that barely missed him. _I'd rather not get hit by that again_. He did a flip in the air landing on the roof of the deli, right behind the man in the black ski-mask who was now running for the door. Peter quickly shot a web-line at him and pulled him back until he could hold him up.

"You told on me, didn't you? It's not nice to be a tattle-tale." He said while webbing up his captive. When he didn't answer, Peter decided to pull his ski-mask off. He wasn't surprised that he recognized this guy. "You were the look-out last time, too. Why? Do you want to spend some alone time with me before I get to the others?" The goon replied by trying to head-butt him but he easily got out of the way.

"No kisses on the first date!" Peter said mockingly and then tossed him over the edge. He got hold of dangling web-string and stuck it to the ledge before the poor guy could hit the ground. "Although, now that I think about it, this is actually our third meeting. Eh, whatever."

"HEY, Freak! Show yourself!" He heard a shout coming from down the street. "Why the hiding? Are you afraid to face me now that we're equal?"

"Taunting? That's my thing, you know." Spider-man replied as he jumped then swung in an arc to kick his opponent. That was the theory. But reality sucks. The costumed criminal aimed his gauntlets under himself and then fired a shockwave that lifted him off the ground. Peter felt his spider-sense flare up but since was mid-air he could barely dodge the incoming attack. In fact, the next shockwave caught him by the ankle, sending him off balance before he managed to stick to the theaters wall. _Point taken_. His enemy landed with a roll, got up and started running for the entrance of the building. _You wish._ Peter thought as heshot a line of web towards him. It connected but he felt it as soon as he started pull him back. There was little to no cohesion which allowed the criminal to shake it off, go on and enter the theatre. _Well, they came prepared_. He hesitated for a few seconds before he sighed and climbed through one of the old, broken windows _. Let's see what kind of play they have for me._

He stuck to the ceiling and climbed through the dusty hallways before entering the auditorium by one of the VIP entrances. The whole place was dark except for the stage where two of the spotlights were aimed at, showing another man with a black ski-mask standing in the middle. _A bait?! How adorable!_ He decided to play along, being curious where this was going. He stopped in the middle of the hall and lowered himself by a web-string in his usual upside down position until he was only around ten feet from the ground. He was thinking about an opening line when the man on the stage spoke up.

"I reckon' you finally decided to show y'self you fuc…."

"Oh, Oh, I remember you!" Spider-man interrupted excitedly. "Wait. Just give me a sec. MONTANA! Ah, that's what they call you, right?" He continued, making his voice sound like a happy little child, while dangling in the air. _I probably look ridiculous. "_ Where were you last time? Oh, wait I knocked you out first, didn't I?" That seemed to upset him.

"It's time for you to get off your high horse becau…"

"I'm on the ceiling"

"STOP INTERRUPTING ME!" he bellowed angrily.

"Sorry."

"You'll be sorry whe…" He didn't get to finish, again, because Spider-man shot a web-ball that stuck right on his mouth, jerking his head backwards. It threw him off balance and he landed on his ass. Peter started laughing so hard that he nearly fell down from the web-string. That was when he felt the tingle going down his spine and let his instincts take over, jumping towards the nearest wall. The shockwave, that came from behind, missed him by inches, hitting the left side of the wooden stage instead, shattering it to tiny splinters. It seemed his attacker anticipated the dodge because he fired again within a second and, although, it missed as well, it was also closer this time. Peter shot for the ceiling and swung himself up with one single pull, evading another attack. He still didn't know where his enemy was exactly. He stared into the spotlight so much that his eyes needed time to readjust to the dark again. _Smart planning._

The next shockwave surprised him, as it went along a straight line instead of the usual one spot. He lost his balance for a moment and fell down before his super-powered instincts kicked in and he shot web-lines to both of his sides then waited for them to stretch to their limit before shooting himself back up, like a stone from a slingshot. As soon as he hit the ceiling he quickly pushed himself off with his legs towards the general direction of the oncoming shockwaves. He started spinning in midair like drill, while simultaneously letting fluid out of his web-shooters essentially creating a thick web-shield on front of him. Not a half-second after he finished, another shockwave came right at him hitting his shield at point blank. Its shape and elastic material managed to spread out the incoming force and, though it dissolved, Spider-man's momentum wasn't faltered one bit. Which is how he found himself landing on a VIP balcony next to his surprised and colorful enemy. He quickly rolled then spun on his back, like a break-dancer, and kicked the criminal off the balcony before he could aim at him again.

His opponent however was far from finished as he fired his gauntlets again at the ground pushing himself up before he could land. He rolled in the air before hitting the ground, rolling again, and then standing up straight, ready for action. _Now this is getting interesting._

"Wow. This is actually fun. Thank you." Peter said leaning forward on the balcony. The man below just sent another shot at him but he simply jumped and swung to the left, sticking to the wall. The balcony behind him collapsed. _No wonder I had a concussion_. "Do you have a name?"

"Of course I do but it's none of your business." He answered before firing at Peter again who just swung to the other side of the room.

"No, I meant a secret-identity name!" Spider-man said switching to his childish voice again.

"What do you think I am, ten?" His opponent countered while he continued shooting at him.

"I have one, too."

"… Are you ten?" He asked a bit mockingly. _Shit, I walked right into that one_. Peter thought as he evaded the latest attack.

"Ah, come on. If you don't tell me what it is, I'll have to come up with one _." Easy with the threats, Peter. Don't go overboard!_ He thought sarcastically. Funnily enough, it worked.

"Just call me… The Shocker." He said hesitantly.

"You just made that up, didn't you?"

"Shut up!" The Shocker shouted and fired again, his aim getting better by the minute _. I think it's time to finish with this one before the whole building collapses on us._ Peter thought while watching the wall crack where he was standing a moment ago. He then stood up on the wall and started running in a steady pace, circling the Shocker. He started to get impatient when, his enemy finally calculated where he had to fire to hit the running Spider-man. That's what he had been waiting for. With a sudden turn he pushed himself off the wall then shot two web-lines, one to the ceiling, the other right in front of his attacker's feet. He put his weight on the first one and swung, gaining momentum, before pulling himself along the second one with all his strength, raising his left leg for a finishing kick.

The Shocker, nevertheless, proved adaptable as he quickly dissolved the string before his feet, throwing off Spider-man's aim that gave him just enough time to roll away. So Peter hit the ground instead with his left leg with all his weight, plus his momentum, behind it and even with his super-strength it hurt like hell. He also made a big dent in the floor. A few seconds of rest would have done wonders but sadly there was no time for such things. He felt the warning of his spider-sense but didn't have enough time to get away, so he just curved into a ball trying to lessen the impact area. It was a half-success, at best as he was sent flying until he hit the wall. At least, his head was protected, so he didn't have to worry about another concussion. As he felt another warning, he forced himself to crawl behind the closest seat row. _That was too close. I shouldn't underestimate him, anymore._

He got hold of one of the seats back, ripped it off and threw it at his opponent. As expected, he fired a shockwave at it that sent it flying back which gave Spider-man what he wanted. He quickly jumped on the flying object, sticking a web-line to it then jumped higher, pulling the seat back in a sling roll before letting go at just the right moment. It happened so fast that the Shocker didn't have time to react and it hit his right shoulder, probably dislocating it. He bellowed in pain but raised his left hand and fired clumsily at Peter who quickly swung away. As soon as he was stuck on the wall again he tried to web his enemy up but whatever they used to neutralize the cohesion was, apparently, still in effect as he just shrugged it off, again. _I need to try something else! Well, making someone angry usually works for me._

"You know, I think you went a bit over-board with this whole bait and spotlight thing." He said in a tone that he hoped sounded as annoying as he intended. "When can I expect an iron anvil to fall on me?"

He received another shockwave as answer. _How repetitive_. He let go of the wall and allowed gravity to save him form this one. The shockwave, however, must have hit a spot that was already cracked as the wall collapsed inwards. As fate would have though, it must have separated the auditorium from a storage room as non-other than piano fell down with it. A piano. For real.

"That was going to be my second guess!" Peter chuckled as he rolled away before it could hit him. "Always the classics, eh?"

Meanwhile, the Shocker managed to climb up the stage which gave Spider-man an idea to finish this off. He aimed at one of the spotlights, shot and then turned it away so it was facing towards his opponent, effectively blinding him. Then, before he could recover, Peter ran towards him, jumped and punched him right in the jaw, not lethally but enough to make him lose interest in further hostilities.

"Fatality." He panted above the moaning form of his enemy. But his day just didn't seem to want to end as his spider-sense flared up and he raised his head just in time to see a, now conscious, Montana aiming a revolver at him. He jumped and did a backflip, landing behind the relative safety of the seats. That seemed to had been anticipated; however, as he heard a clicking sound and saw a freaking grenade bounce off one of the columns before exploding. He managed to get far enough to avoid any serious injuries but he couldn't hear anything aside from constant beeping. He had a hard time to focus his vision but he got a glimpse of another column exploding, this one by a shockwave which either Montana sent somehow or Peter restrained himself too much with his punch. He wasn't sure which and couldn't care less about it, at the moment, as the building started to shake before a large chunk of the ceiling landed no-more than two feet away from him. _The whole this is gonna collapse!_

He got up as fast as he could and started looking for an exit before seeing a spot on the wall, full of cracks, and decided that a few injuries are better than being buried alive. _Very smart, Peter. Spread that philosophy!_ He thought sarcastically as he rammed against the wall and broke through. Luckily, the next thing he found in his way was a latched window which proved slightly easier to go through. He quickly found himself in the air, around the height of the first floor, before landing on the ground with a big 'oomph'.

"Huh…On a second thought…huh I'd choose… huh… the burial instead." Peter whined to no-one in particular. His whole body was aching from head to toe and he was pretty sure he felt a few wet spots on his costume which meant that he was bleeding too. He quickly looked around to see if anyone was there. They must have spent more time in there than he thought because it was already getting dark. He saw nobody but finally got back his hearing as he heard the distant sound of the sirens and decided to call it a day. _At least I'm alive._

* * *

 _I'm so dead._ Schultz thought as he stumbled onto the backseat of their car. Montana was sitting on the driving seat and Flint got in next to him, still full of spider-web pieces despite Schultz doing his best to clean it off of him. He had been half-unconscious when Montana dragged him out of the collapsing theater and was only now starting to come to his senses. _We need to get out of this city!_ Judging from the looks on their faces, the others were thinking the same thing.

They drove in silence all the way to their hideout. However, as soon as they got out, both entrances of the alley were blocked by two big black vans. Then one of them opened and She emerged from it along with three goons caring assault rifles. The Enforcers tensed up getting ready to fight, but they were tired, outnumbered and outgunned. They still stood back to back each other, though, not giving up without a fight. _This is gonna cost you Hammerhead!_ Speaking of…

"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Said their (now ex) boss behind Schultz' back who probably emerged from the other van.

"We will." Replied Flint next to him and Schultz had never heard such certainty from him before. It helped him strengthen his resolve. _Yes, we will!_

"As you wish." Said the Woman, undisturbed by the severity of the situation. "Ready! Aim! Fi…"

She was cut off by an explosion the likes of which Schultz has never heard before. It started with a boom that was followed by a truly frightening sound, like a shriek mixed with a devilish laugh. He quickly turned around only to see the other van consumed by emerald green fire that gave out a weird, orange smoke. Hammerhead was lying on the ground trying to get up, his other goons unmoving. Schultz turned back only to see the Woman gone and the three other goons confused, looking for the source of the attack. He quickly raised his left hand and fired his gauntlet, hoping the battery didn't give out yet. It didn't and the goons were sent flying backwards, hitting the van they arrived with. That was when another bomb hit it and this time Schultz clearly saw it flying, like he was watching a movie in slow motion. It exploded with the same terrifying shriek and knocked him off his feet causing him to crash into Flint.

"What a crashing entrance." Said the most horrible voice he heard his entire life. It was hoarse but a little high-pitched, dripping with malice and glee. Than it laughed which sounded like an animals dying scream with constant interruption by a clacking noise. Schultz looked up to see the approaching monstrosity. It was entirely green, wearing a weird orange armor and a belt that was filled with bombs, not unlike the ones Schultz saw a second ago. Its chin, nose and pointy ears were almost comically long, enframing a grin that was unnaturally wide. It was standing on a glider of some sort that matched its armor's color, hoovering in the air. Its big orange eyes were watching the burning green fire with almost sexual fascination. Then it looked right at Schultz and he wished that the goons had killed him a minute ago.

Montana was the only one still standing, but he seemed to get over his shock rather quickly as he aimed his revolver and fired until it was empty. The bullets just bounced off of the creature, who only seemed mildly annoyed by them.

"Useless." It crackled simply and raised its right hand where a radiating, light-green energy started gather. It then extended said hand, faster than a blink of an eye, sending a beam of pure energy towards Montana. No-one could have reacted to that. No-one, except for Flint who pushed Montana out of the way, taking the full blast instead. He gave out a little shout before vanishing, turning into dust that the wind got hold of and blew towards the river.

 _No... No! He deserved better!_

"YOU GODDAMNED FUCKING FREAK! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Montana bellowed jumping up from the ground. For the lack of better weapon, he threw his emptied revolver at the creature. It caught it, fast as lightning, threw it away then moved its feet and started flying towards them. It seized Montana by his throat and lifted him up without any effort.

Schultz concentrated every remaining ounce of will and force of his body, lifted his left arm and fired a shockwave at maximum force. It knocked the monster backwards a few feet but after shaking its head it still stood on his glider, now looking at Schultz with visible curiosity. It didn't let go of Montana either.

"How interesting." It screeched with even more glee than before. Then, it stabbed some of its fingers from its free hand into Montana's stomach like a normal human would dip his into the water. Its victim just looked towards Schultz, fear evident in his eyes, even from this far. But there was something else too. Like he was saying goodbye.

The creature ripped his head off effortlessly, pulling the spine along with it then tossed the two body-parts aside, like it was garbage. It then started flying towards Schultz who was, now, paralyzed by shock and fear. It grabbed his left leg and then started to fly away, dragging him along with it. He just slid on the hard concrete for a few seconds before the monster finally gained enough height to lift him above ground. They flew towards the Hudson River which was only a block away from their hideout. When they were above it, the creature lifted him up so their eyes would be around the same height, although he was still upside-down, the creature still holding his ankle in its left hand.

"You think yourself worthy of living?" it asked, almost in a whisper before clenching its left hand, effectively shattering his left ankle. "Then survive!" It shrieked and let him go.

He fell face-first into the river, the pain of impact and the cold of the water waking him up from his paralyzed shock. Everything came crushing down on him that happened in the last minute. Indescribable rage filled his mind, so powerful that it washed away all the fatigue he felt. _You bet I will! Then I'm gonna hunt you down and make you pay! You will pay!_ He focused every fiber of his being into swimming ,though, it was nearly useless with a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg but he wouldn't give. He needed to get revenge for his partners. For his friends…

He was flailing closer and closer towards the shore but exhaustion was finally catching up to him. When his chest stuck on a sand-dune all the extra energy he got from his rage finally ran out and he just lay there, underwater. The human-body could only take so much. He slowly closed his eyes, hating himself for it more than anything.

The next time he opened them he was lying on the shore, one of the streetlights shining above him. He sucked in as much air as his lungs could and it tasted sweet despite all the pollution in a big city like this. He lifted his head, saw the flashing light of an ambulance approaching and let it fall back. But before he passed out he caught a glimpse of a sand-dune moving away from him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter six: Deal-making

 _Why can't they do this at noon?_ Betty thought sleepily as she stood amidst a crowd of onlookers at five freaking a.m. The whole street was sealed off by police tape but she could still make out the two burned out vans. Or what was left of them, anyway. To her horror, she could also see a few human shaped forms, as coal black as the vehicles they were sticking out of. That would certainly haunt her dreams, as burning alive was one of her biggest fears.

She got a call from Ned, earlier that something major happened a block from Hudson River and he asked her to have a look. Her excitement of having an opportunity to spend time with her crush was quickly expunged as it turned out that he would go to another scene, some kind of collapsed theatre. Since he couldn't be in two places at once, he called her, about which she had mixed feelings. On the one hand she was happy that Ned trusted her so much but on the other, she started to think that trust was the only thing he felt for her, which she thought she didn't deserve. And not surprisingly, considering what she had done the last couple of days.

After Ned's not so subtle reference to having a girlfriend, she started an ethically questionable investigation. Okay, maybe not just questionable since she borrowed (pretty much stole) Ned's Osberry for a few hours, looking through his texts. She was aware how crazy it was but knew herself enough to suspect that if she let this whole 'possible love rival' thing keep nagging her, she would do something even crazier. That wouldn't be good for anybody. _Plus, I work at a news company. I'm used to doing shady things._

It turned out she didn't have to worry about a possible love rival. Because there were more. She read conversations with four different women before she couldn't anymore, but there were other numbers with feminine names attached them _. I didn't know so many others found Asian guys attractive, too. Or, maybe it's just Ned._ He wasn't in a relationship with any of them, judging from the texts, so he technically wasn't cheating on anyone, although it didn't seem like the girls knew about the others. They were just having occasional fun which is perfectly normal for people in their mid-twenties but it still made Betty scowl throughout the whole 'investigation'.

After she'd smuggled his phone back, she had given him the cold shoulder through the entire day. Only when she went home and drank a whole glass of wine did she realize how completely pathetic she was. A line was crossed so much, it was barely visible anymore. She had breached his privacy, which, granted, is kinda part of her profession. But she had done it to a friend, someone she deeply cares about and worse, she had blamed him for something she had no business with, whatsoever. It was despicable and she felt completely ashamed for it. She was a twenty-one years old woman, building her future carrier and not some stupid narcissistic high-school girl. _I was way over line. I won't let something like this happen again!_ She vowed guiltily when she fell asleep around midnight.

That brought her to this morning, looking at incinerated vehicles and people, asking questions about the situation and still fighting guilt over her previous actions. Expecting coherent answers from people this early in the morning was borderline crazy but she had a job and it had to be done. Fortunately, she was getting better at it, keeping her questions simple and direct.

She thought she had gathered as much as possible and decided to leave the scene when she caught a flicker of movement in the air. Even though, there were countless possibilities about what that could have been, she still felt her heart starting to beat faster as she begun to follow it. Betty run for few blocks but it appeared that she already lost the track when she saw some shadows move in an alley.

Slowly, she crept over there, sneaking up on the entrance. But when she jumped in, ready to take a picture, it was empty apart from a dumpster. She walked over to it to check of anyone was behind it but this, apparently, wasn't her lucky day. She sighed and let herself catch her breath. _It was probably just a bird._

"It's pretty rude to follow people, you know." Said a young male voice behind her, causing her to yelp. She quickly turned around only to see freaking Spider-man hanging upside down, three feet from her. They stood there in silence for a second before he rolled in the air and landed gracefully before her, thrusting his right hand out. "Hi, I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-man."

She just blinked, still hardly believing that it was reality. Then, to her surprise, she raised her own hand and shook his.

"B-Betty Brant." She said shakily. It must have surprised him too.

"Wow. Hi Betty!" He exclaimed a bit taken aback." It's ah… nice to meet someone who's not thrusting a gun at me." He held her hands gently but firmly, before letting it go. A moment later she realized that she was still holding her hand up so she quickly let it fall to her side. _Okay, Betty this is a chance of a lifetime. Keep yourself together!_

"W-What can I do for you?" … _What kind of journalist are you!?_

"Could tell me what happened a few blocks away? I would ask the police but I have this weird feeling that they won't tell me anything."

"You don't know?" She asked confused. "You weren't there when it happened?"

"Ohm, no. I was busy in an abandoned theatre on the other side of the city. I wanna do a concert!" He said childishly.

"The one that collapsed?"

"Okay, well I have to find another place for it." He said morosely then quirked his head up a bit and stepped closer. "You're awfully well informed. Fellow concerned citizen?"

"I…" She couldn't speak. His close presence was very intimidating even though he probably didn't intend it to be. Then he raised his hand up, brushing it against the left side of her neck. Betty was caught completely off gourd and froze in place. _What is he doing!?_ She wondered frantically before he started to slowly move his hand and she felt something else shift on her skin. That's when she remembered that she tucked her press pass, which was hung on her neck, in her cleavage so it wouldn't bother her when she ran. When it came into view Spider-man pulled her a little closer by the lanyard and held it up with his other hand, which was now nearly touching her breast from above. Betty felt her cheeks redden but, apparently, he didn't notice neither that nor how intimate their position was.

"Daily Bugle, eh? So how did I do it this time? I menaced them until they exploded, or what?" He asked in a tone that could only be described as scornful tease. But he didn't seem to be interested in her answer, though, as he let her go, turned around and got ready to jump up.

"Wait!" She shouted, quickly coming to her senses. He stopped but didn't turn around. "I… I just want to find out the truth behind…. "He turned around faster than her eyes could follow and somehow managed to pierce her with his stare, even though he was wearing an expressionless mask.

"The truth is I wasn't there! Just like I didn't torture the Vulture by burning his back!" he hissed, which was scarier than any shout he could have managed. "But, I guess fiction pays better than the truth." He stepped back and visibly calmed himself." Look, I don't really mind it. That's not why I do what I do. But, if you and your newspaper's gonna spread stuff like that then we have nothing to talk about. My spider-sense gets itchy from hypocrisy."

That last bit made her angry, causing her to scorn at him before talking.

"It's hard to get the truth from someone who can do whatever he wants and hides his identity." She retorted, straightening her back and realizing she was actually an inch or two taller than him. "Let's make a deal. I tell you what I know about the explosions and you in return can tell me your side of the story by giving me an exclusive interview." When he visibly hesitated she continued "I would say it's a fair offer."

"I wouldn't." He replied simply, his tone now calm and almost friendly. "You guys slandered me publicly. That's gonna leave a stain. But tell you what! If you tell me everything now, then it's even and I'll consider an interview if I ever need help again."

"You said you didn't care."

"Yeah, well I'm just a swinging maniac soo…" He replied dryly, quoting from the Bugle's previous article.

Betty winced. _Yeah, Mr. Jameson really went overboard the last time. But that's the past; it's time to make it right. And I don't think I'll get a better deal out of him._ She nodded and then started talking. She gave a quick rundown on how the police found the scene, about the seven dead bodies, one of them torn in two and the sole survivor who was now in a hospital with serious injuries. She also mentioned the unconfirmed parts, like the green flames or that most of the victims were part of Hammerhead's gang. He didn't seem to know anything about that name. Betty was tempted to make a new deal but her generous side somehow intervened, so she ended up telling him everything she knew about one of the city's most notorious crime lord. He listened eagerly and when she finished he honestly thanked her.

"It's nothing… this time. But next time I want my interview!" She smiled at him. To her shock he just held up his little finger. _Seriously?_ Hesitantly, she held up her own. He grabbed hers with his, shook it twice then let go.

"Deal." He said then jumped up the wall. But before he left he stopped and turned back at her. "You really thought I did those things?" He asked, his voice surprisingly vulnerable.

Betty thought about it for a second. _Did I really? No._ She shook her head then answered.

"No… but I was hoping a little that it was you. That you were the only one who could have done it. But now, I know there is… something else that could do things like that. And evidently, does it without remorse. It's scary... Having more than one like you."

"I'm not like that, whoever did it." He said simply but there was no hurt in his voice for the implication. Instead it sounded like he was trying to reassure her. "And you're thinking about it the wrong way. It's good that there are more. It means that I can stop them. And I will. It's my responsibility, now." Then he climbed up the wall before disappearing from her sight.

Betty stood in the alley for a few minutes before realizing she had to go to work. On the way, she decided that she wouldn't tell anyone about her encounter with Spider-man. She then erased the recording she secretly took during their conversation. _This will be our little secret._

* * *

The secret to becoming invisible when someone is shouting your name angrily across the hallway is… Well, it's still a mystery. At least for Peter it was, although he did his best to think of something as fast as possible. If there ever will be a day when he comes up with anything that sure as hell won't be today. So he just stood there, slowly turning around to face his approaching doom. _Can I have the Shocker back, please?_

It had been more than a couple of hours since his talk with Betty Brant because of which he had been late from biology but true to his words Professor Warren let it slide. Since then he had spent most of the day researching Hammerhead, the events of last night and reading theories about who could have been the culprit. The most popular, of course, was that it was Spider-man but not much behind him was someone called the 'Goblin', another urban legend who has allegedly done some damage during the summer, though this was his most devastating yet. Still there was practically no reliable info about who or what this guy was or about his agenda. So he decided to stay on the Hammerhead angle, looking through articles and public information about some of his private buildings where he might find him.

He was carefully reading from his Osberry when he heard a feminine snarl, calling his name behind his back, which even made his spider-sense tingle. It was Liz Allan, with such over-the-top furry on her face that it could only be done by a hurt teenage girl. It only came to him that he missed their tutoring during biology class and he had been doing his best to stay away from Liz or anyone else from her gang, ever since. But the Parker-luck intervened evidently, so now he had to face her reproach. He was not looking forward to that one.

Liz marched over to him, her pretty face set in a mad scowl, all the way through. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and started to pull him towards a classroom. Or, at least, she tried but Peter's super-powered legs balanced him out. Instead her momentum jerked her back, causing her to nearly fall over before Peter easily caught her then helped her regain her feet. She was surprised for a bit before her angry expression returned. She let go of his shirt and apparently, decided to make a scene right there in the hallway. _I should have just gone with her_.

"Where the f-fuck were you last night?" She shouted, stumbling over the swearing-part a bit. Maybe she wasn't used to it. Which if true than Peter must have really made her mad. "I waited for you for an hour and a half and nothing. You didn't even call or text or something and I didn't have your number. Or was that your plan all along, playing a little psycho prank on me!? Because if that's what it…" She went on and on but Peter tuned out and started to think about a response plan. _What should I do? What can I do? Nothing, I'm terrible with social skills._ He thought, and then an idea popped into his head. _What would Spider-man do!?_... _well no, I can't hit her... and I can't web her up either. Maybe a joke?_ He assessed the condition Liz was in, ranting something about frogs. _Frogs!? How the hell did we get here? Anyway, webbing her up would probably cause less damage than a joke so that's out of the question too._

Their little show was gaining a bigger audience which made Peter nervous. That caused him to act without thinking, lifting up his index finger before slowly placing it on her still ranting mouth, effectively shutting her up. Her, and everyone else's, shock was nearly touchable, after that. The seconds were counting and Peter realized that he needed to say something or things would become even worse. _Just improvise!_

"Did you study last night?" He asked, his voice surprisingly clear and strong, carrying a bit of authority with it as if a father was talking to a misbehaving daughter. Or a teacher to a bad student.

"W-what? Of course not! That's why I have been shouting my throat dry in front of eve…"

"Why not?" He asked simply and forced himself to look deeply into her brown eyes.

"What do you mean why not? Because you weren't there!" She said heatedly but her eyes showed a bit of uncertainty.

"And if I'm not there it means you can't study?" Peter asked back adding a bit more authority to his voice. "You said you were there for an hour and a half. Alone in a coffee shop surrounded by biology books. And yet you still didn't study. What did you do instead? Texting with friends, maybe?" From her wince it was obvious that he hit a mark there.

"But it's hard for me! That's why you were supposed to be there!" She retorted

"Then it seems you have misunderstood our relationship." _Poor choice of words there, Peter._ "My job is to HELP you learn biology and not to learn it instead of you. Huge difference. I don't think you need my help to read a couple of books."

"Then what kind of help are you?" She asked her voice rising again.

"The kind that makes you realize; you don't need help!" Peter replied with fake certainty. "Look, Liz you aren't dumb. The fact that you have been shouting at me for a full minute without repeating the same thing over and over again shows creativity, which only proves my point further. "He just randomly said the last part, hoping it was actually true. "You are imaginative and smart but also unmotivated. That's what I want to cure you out of so you wouldn't feel the need to ask for help." He then made a significant pause to make it look like something important was coming. But in reality he just wanted to see how Liz took everything he already said and he had no idea what else to say.

She was staring at him wide eyed, blushing a bit, although it was hard to tell on her cinnamon like skin. _So it either worked or I'm gonna die in the next minute_.

Then she opened her mouth.

"How?" Her voice was low, full of vulnerability and uncertainty. _Holy shit! I'm not even sure what I just said but it worked! Keep going, Peter!_

"Simple." _I have no idea!_ But he kept his voice firm and encouraging. "From now on, I will just sit next to you while you study. If you have any questions, I will answer but otherwise you will be on your own because I know you will manage." He explained calmly. Then an idea popped into his head. "Also, from time to time, I will be absent from our tutoring but that doesn't mean that you will be free to do whatever you want. It will still be the part of the day when you have to study. If you think it unfair, please remember that this is for your own good, so you would see that you really don't need anyone's help. If you're dissatisfied with these terms I suggest that you ask for another tutor or, better yet, study on your own." Peter stopped and waited for her answer, while thinking about the words that just left his mouth. Also he, almost painfully, resisted the urge to laugh at his improvising skills.

During his speech Liz regained some of her composure and seemed to think about every word that was said. Peter also realized that most of the spectators were looking at him in a confused expression. And a few were disappointed that there was no fight. After a while Liz held up her head and looked him straight in the eyes almost challengingly.

"What will you do if I don't study when you're not there?" She asked raising a delicate, dark eyebrow. Her tone carried a bit of tease with it. She knew Peter couldn't do a thing about it. This was the point.

"Nothing." He replied with a shrug, while she was visibly taken aback. "In fact, I won't even ask you for a summary in the following session. You're not studying for my approval or because of fear of punishment. You study because you want to or you recognize the importance of it. I will never know if you really learned anything or just had fun with your friends. But I trust you." He emphasized the last part.

It was then that the bell rung, signaling the start of their next lesson. Almost everyone starting moving except the two of them. Liz had an innocent look on her face, something Peter only seen once, when Flash Thompson asked her out for the first time. He thought it was really out of place. Then she came to some kind of resolution and nodded.

"Okay, I accept those terms, Petey." She said with a smile. _Petey? What's with everyone giving nicknames for me? What's wrong with Peter?_ Then He thought about it for a moment. _Okay well, Spider-man isn't really a nickname; it's a secret identity name!...Whatever._

He nodded, made his goodbyes and started going to class. While walking through the empty hallway, he started wondering if what he just did was a good thing. _Even though everything I said was true, I just said them to get her off my back. Is this the kinda person Uncle Ben would want me to be? Hero in costume, asshole in high-school?_

As if to evoke his doubts in reality, Peter suddenly felt the tingle down his spine and the next thing he knew was Flash Thompson pushing him towards some lockers. Or he tried to but couldn't because of his Spider-strength. If the resistance surprised him he quickly hid it and kept pressing him. Peter sighed, and then let him push him up against the lockers. Flash raised his left forearm and held it against Peter's neck, not so strong to hurt him but enough to make him feel uncomfortable. He fixed him with his glare and zoomed in until he was mere inches from his face.

"I think we've avoided each other well enough, so far." He said with a threatening tone. "But that won't be possible, anymore. I don't really care about all the bullshit you just babbled, in my eyes you're responsible for her grades." He suddenly pressed harder, making it hard for Peter to breathe. "This is important to her and if you let her down, I will make your life a living hell, Parker."

The whole situation angered Peter on multiple levels. At the top, because he already felt a little bit of guilt about leading on a desperate Liz. But also because Flash Thompson threatened him, even though it wasn't his concern. Peter didn't want to him to believe that he would do it out of fear from him. So, he moved his forehead, pressing it against Flash's. It must have surprised him, as his eyes widened for a moment before he narrowed them again. He pressed back but to no avail. He must have wanted to speak, too but Peter interjected before he could start.

"Listen, Eugene!" He started, emphasizing his real name. "I don't give a damn about your threats. What I said to Liz is true. I trust her, a trait which doesn't seem common in the two of us. So take your over-protecting boyfriend routine elsewhere!" He said the whole thing in a threatening whisper. He didn't want to challenge him, to cause a fight, and shouting would only have done just that.

Flash from his part was visibly restraining himself. His right hand turned into a fist as soon as he heard his first name spoken out loud. It got worse after the comment about the lack of trust. Massive veins were popping out from his giant muscular arms while he was shaking with fury. But he held himself back and let out a long exhale through his nose. Then he let go of Peter, glared at him for a few more seconds and took a deep breath before stomping away. It reminded Peter of sulking little kid after losing in game. He then complimented himself for not laughing out loud after a thought like that. It would only have made things more complicated.

As he walked into class, he slowly realized how helpless Flash must have felt about this whole situation. He sees the girl he loves struggle and barely manage in biology but he can't help her because he himself is bad at it, too. Then comes some psycho jerk ( _probably how Flash thinks of me_ ) and talks about a half-assed way to help/not help her study. Physical confrontation still wasn't the best way to solve things but it was probably the only way that he thought available, at the moment. It made Peter feel a bit sorry for him. That felt really weird. Nonetheless, he made a mental vow. _Don't worry, Flash! I won't let Liz down. I promise!_

* * *

 _I promise! You will be avenged! I promise! I promise!_ Such were thoughts of Herman Schultz while he suffered through nightmare, after nightmare. When he was brought in, he wanted to ask the nurse not to give him sedative but he couldn't, as he was barely able to stay conscious. After that, he was fated to relive the events of the previous day with agonizing details. A few times he even saw some things that didn't happen, like O'Hirn getting killed along with them, or Spider-man helping that monster out with the massacre.

He, somehow, knew that these were only dreams. That it wasn't how it really happened but it didn't really make seeing them any better. He tried waking up numerous times but it felt to him just like in the Hudson, constantly failing to break the surface. Only it was happening over and over again until he just stopped trying, altogether and gave into the horror.

He had no idea how long he actually slept but it seemed like a lifetime to him when he finally woke up. When he opened his eyes, he immediately felt the all-too-powerful lamplights on his face. So it was probably dark outside. He strengthened himself and started to rub his eyes to help them adjust to the sudden light. Meanwhile, he also realized that his right arm was in a cast. When his eyes finally worked again, he caught a flicker of motion from the end of his bed. He looked there only to see The Woman sitting right in front of her, looking at him with her usual blank expression.

 _So the bitch survives anything._ He thought. He wanted to say it out loud, too but only a little cracking sound came out of his dry throat. That very fact probably saved his life. The Woman glanced to his right, and he followed her gaze to find a glass of water next to his bed. He quickly grabbed it, with his left hand which was tricky, and drank the whole thing within a few seconds. It felt like he was drinking life itself. After that though, he began to eye the empty glass suspiciously. _Is this how she's trying to kill me? Poisoned water?_

That possibility made him very angry. He still needed to get revenge and he couldn't just die here, after surviving so much. But throwing a tantrum now wouldn't make anything better. Especially in his situation. He still wasn't sure in what condition his left leg was since he could barely feel it. For all he knew, it could have been amputated. He also didn't feel any fear at all, which made him worry a bit. _Only fools and madmen don't feel fear._

Finally, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, then cleared his throat so his words would be as strong as possible.

"Tying up loose ends?" He asked hoarsely. He needed to find out if he was a dead-man already. To his surprise, a little smirk appeared on the left corner of her mouth.

"In a way, yes." She answered simply, locking her blue gaze intensely with his. "How are you feeling, Mr. Schultz?" She asked, although her voice didn't show any concern about the subject.

"Like a beaten pile of shit! Now cut the crap and tell me why you're here!" he answered, his anger leaking to the surface. If his tone offended her, she didn't show.

"I'm here to discuss further business with you." She said simply "And to say I'm sorry for your loss!"

That was pretty much all he could take. He threw the empty glass at her, which she easily dodged. He intended to stand up and continue his attack but his left leg refused to move, much to his discontent.

"You fucking bitch! You shut your fucking mouth or I'll fucking kill you!" He bellowed from the bed, which probably cut down from his threatening vibe. He literally shook with so much fury that the bed kept clanking against the wall. _How dare that bitch!?_

"I was just being civil about it." She said, like and adult talking down to a child. "Besides, I personally didn't want them or you, for that matter, dead. It was just how things turned out. But now, the circumstances changed and I would like to renegotiate your employment."

Schultz had to force himself to listen to what she was saying because of the red fog that descended on his mind. But he did, and calmed himself with a few deep breaths. It was a half success at best but he had to work with what he had.

"You fear for your sorry ass?" He asked and despite his best efforts a little rage leaked into his voice. Her face remained as blank as before, just studying him like he was a boring object in a museum. "Because I sure as hell don't give a single flying fuck about it."

"I see. Than am I to assume that you don't want vengeance?"

That hit the spot. He did want it. More than anything. And he would do everything to get it. Even work for them. Work for her. _Damn her!_ She read him like an open book, and smirked a little at his internal struggle. _DAMN HER!_ Then she simply nodded.

"Good. But I suggest you swallow your rage in the future. We don't need any more trouble. Even Mr. O'Hirn understood it sooner then you." That got his attention.

"Alex!? Does he… know?" He asked with concern. He didn't even have time to think about how he was going to tell him. The weird thing is that, through all those years they worked together, they could still hardly be called friends. Not really. But they were comrades. Brothers in arms in the chaotic battlefield of the New York underworld. And loosing that is… hard to say the least.

The Woman didn't seem to deem his question worthy of words so she just nodded. She was doing that a lot. They were silent for a minute before his curiosity got the better of him.

"…what now?"

"You will have a surgery, the day after tomorrow, which is already payed for. Your leg will be completely repaired. But your rehabilitation process will be accelerated. We do not have time to waste." _How nice_ "Meanwhile, Mr. O'Hirn will receive his upgrades, as well."

"What kind of upgrades? Does he know about it?" They will not hurt his last living comrade!

"He already agreed to them and it's none of your concern." She said, hardening her tone at the end. Schultz was having none of that.

"That's where you're wrong, baby-doll." He said, narrowing his eyes. For the first time in his life, he didn't shiver at all after talking back to her. He wondered if it was because he was going mad. "I want to know everything that's going to happen to him. None negotiable." He practically snarled the last part.

She tilted her head to her left, then just shrugged.

"As you wish. The preparations will take time anyway, so you can be there during the process. He will receive an experimental armor, designed to withstand even an FIM-92 Stinger." Then added belittlingly. "That's a rocket launcher. We hope it will be enough against our common enemy, as well."

He scowled at her but, surprisingly, it had no effect. _They would give something this expensive to us? How desperate are they? Does that mean I get my shocker gauntlets back?_

"So… a fight for freaks, eh? Care to join?" He knew he was being childish but couldn't help it. But he never would have imagined that he would get a reaction. He still wasn't sure at first and thought maybe the drugs were just messing with is head. Her eyes twitched! With hurt! The glare she sent his way was enough conformation, though and it reminded him why he never wanted to look into her blue eyes.

Even though he was looking right at her, he could barely see how fast she thrust her hand out. He dodged the knife that flew his way or, at least, he thought he did until he realized that it would have missed anyway. _A distraction?_ That proved to be true as she quickly crossed the room and grabbed him by the throat, while he just barely turned his head back. She squeezed it so hard that Shultz immediately felt like his eyes are going to pop out of their sockets. Then he grabbed the little knife, still stuck in his pillow, with is left hand. The Woman simply switched hands, lifting up her right arm to fend off the incoming attack. But it never came.

Schultz pointed the sharp object right at his own throat and simply smiled at her with all the bitterness and hate in his heart. Her eyes widened, then narrowed in disbelieve. They stayed like that for at least two minutes, just studying each other. Then she spoke up.

"Do you think I care?"

Schultz laughed. He couldn't keep it in and didn't want to, either. It wasn't a sane man's laugh, though. It was empty of any form of joy. The kind that's resembles more to desperate scream. A madman's laugh.

"AHAHAH.. Oh baby-doll… oh… I don't give a rat's shaved ass if you care." His speech was hoarse, and every sound hurt like hell because of the death-grip on his throat. But he didn't care about that either. "But you need me, sweetie. That is obvious. And before you start to explain to me how replaceable I am, need I remind you that you don't have any time to waste. Or do you have an infinite supply of revenge-filled hitmen who could maybe take down that big thorn in your sorry ass?" He felt something flow down his neck. He must have cut himself a bit. Her grip softened, but she continued to glare at him. It just made him widen his grin." That's what I thought. So I suggest you take your own advice and swallow you anger in the future."

She let go of him slowly and stepped back. She tilted her head to her side again and studied him further. Finally, the anger vanished from her eyes, only to be replaced by amusement. She even smirked a bit. Then, to his reprise, she inclined her head a little as if to show acknowledgement.

"You have been through a crucible. It has changed you. Or rather, revealed your true self." She said approvingly, before hardening her gaze again." But I would advise you not get too full of yourself. Your life isn't the only way I can hurt you." Then her eyes started gleam with malice, as she smoothly, almost seductively said the next words. "Or would you like the blood of Mr. Marko's daughter on your hands?"

A truly cold shiver went through his body at those words, before culminating in a sudden stab in his heart. Of all the Enforcers, he has been closest to Flint. He knew that, unlike the rest of them, he didn't keep the dirty money they got. He sent it to her daughter. So she wouldn't have any trouble. So she wouldn't be caught in the sufferings of this city. She was the most precious thing in his life _. And I don't think his death changes that_.

His emotions must have been evident on is face because The Woman continued.

"And killing her would be just the end-game. There are other ways to make a young girl's life hell…"

"Okay, enough!" He shouted, unable to listen to any more of this. His free hand tightened into a shaking fist. He felt his own nails dig into his skin but he could barely stop his anger. She just smiled sweetly at him, then turned around and started walking towards the exit. She stopped at the door, placed her hand on the handle but didn't open it.

"From now on, you and Mr. O'Hirn will report directly to me and nobody else. I don't think the two of you would need any further motivation to hunt down the Goblin but if I'm wrong than that can be arranged, too. Although, I presume everyone would be happier if it didn't come to that. So, let us be civilized and focus our mutual hostility towards a common target." She glanced over her shoulder." Let's clean this city." And with that she left, shutting the door behind her.

Schultz let out a shaky breath he didn't even know he kept in. She was right. They didn't have the upper hand… yet. But he learned in the past few days that anything could happen in this world.

That was the future, though. Now, he needed to focus on taking down that Goblin. And Spider-man, too! They whole misfortune started after their first encounter with him. So these were the thought of Herman Schultz, while he drifted back to sleep. _Yeah, we're gonna clean this city alright. And the Shocker will finally wreak havoc!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter Seven: Breaking Things

"Gwen? Are you up, yet?" Came his dad's voice from downstairs. She was surprised that he was still home. He usually goes to work much sooner. _I wish he did now too. I have enough on my mind as it is._ She thought despite the warm feeling in her stomach at the thought of actually seeing him today. She felt angry for that too. Then, she heard him coming up the stairs. _I guess ignoring him doesn't work in my favor, this time._

 _"_ Yes, I'm up already. No need to come here." She shouted behind closed doors. Not that she had anything to hide but she didn't want him coming into her room. _Better not get used to it._ Luckily, his stubbornness hadn't woken up yet so her dad audibly turned back and went down. Gwen hated how sorry she felt for him after that.

The next hour was spent with choosing her dark and a little too revealing clothes, putting on make-up and doing other usual morning stuff. Generally, she wouldn't need an hour for that but she wanted to stall for time so her dad wouldn't be there when she finally went down. That plan failed, though. He was sitting in the dining room, talking on the phone with someone. He waved at her when she got down and she found herself involuntarily waving back before scowling at him. He knew she would do it by reflex, judging by the smirk he sent her. Then he said his goodbyes to whoever he was talking to and hung up. He went into the kitchen and came back with a bag that had a big 'Gwen' sign on it. Like it was the fucking nineties.

"Let me guess! Fresh from the oven?" She asked sarcastically. She knew her dad hadn't made whatever was inside that bag. He barely trusted himself to make even the simplest sandwiches. He scowled back at her before changing his expression to that of a kicked puppy. It's something nobody would expect to see from the captain of the New York City police force. Gwen seriously doubted that anyone but her has seen that face before. It also made her hate herself on a whole new level. Without any other words, she jerked the bag out his hand and turned to walk out. Sadly, it appeared her dad had other plans.

"Don't hurry! I can take you in today." He said, catching up to her.

"Do you mean school or jail?" She asked dryly while refusing to look at him. Still, she felt the scowl he sent her way. Then she heard a deep sigh which only made her quicken her steps.

When they got out, she entertained the idea of walking towards the bus-stop but ultimately decided that she was enough of a bitch already for today. _I mean, we don't have to talk on the way._ So she got in his dad's car, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala with a replaced hybrid engine. She always thought that, for a midlife crisis car, that one was a weird choice but it could have been worse. At least, this one gives him an old-school detective vibe. Plus she was hoping that once she got her license, he would lend it to her sometimes. It was a faint hope.

They were silent for a few minutes but it seemed that the city traffic wasn't in their favor, as they were constantly stopped by red lights. Gwen was expecting his dad to break the silence but he just stubbornly stared at the road in front of him. _I never had to wonder where I got that from._ Not wanting to give in first, she did her best to keep up her own stubbornness but something was nagging her. And not just her usual guilt over how she treated her dad (she hated how she always felt that), rather the whole situation was out of place. Why didn't her dad leave early as usual, why did he offer to take her to school and if he had something to scold her about why hadn't he done it yet? She never considered herself really patient and it started to show by how much she was glancing at his driving, and infuriatingly silent dad. _No wonder he's a good cop._

"Okay, I give up! What's going on?" She asked finally, not trying to hide her frustration one bit.

"Took you long enough…" Her dad muttered and sent a smile her way. She just scowled at him in return and crossed her arms over her chest, like a pouting little girl. But she already gave in, so she might as well continue.

"Why aren't you at work, hm? Did I do something wrong?" She asked before realizing her mistake.

"Did you?" Came the question back, accompanied by a bit harder tone then before. Always the police captain.

"No!" She lied, hiding the fact that she had smoked again a few days back. Yeah, she hated it the first time but she needed to clear her had. Besides, by now, she was used doing things she hated. Like being a total bitch to his father. But she did it anyway out of spite.

"It's not why I stayed, anyway." He replied with a simple shrug and an unreadable expression on his face. If he caught the lie, he didn't show. He never did, which was just another reason on the very long list why he was a terrible discussion partner and a good captain at the same time. Also, an annoying dad.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if to think through the words he was going to say and Gwen got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Then he finally gave long sigh before he started to talk.

"Look, Gwen I don't want this anymore than you do but due to recent events I'm going to have more work." He said while trying to catch her eyes with his. She wouldn't let him. "And I mean much more. I probably won't even be able to go home for a few days, maybe weeks. I don't know how long it will take to…" Gwen ignored what he had to say. She was being left, again. Her dad was doing a good job at keeping his voice monotonic, probably to calm her down but she still had to blink not once, not twice but three times to stop the tears that were trying to break free. She hated those tears, that her dad's job was so important and every fucking criminal who had nothing better to do than to cause trouble. He was still explaining his case when she interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah okay, I won't see you for few days. Nothing new with that." Despite her inner turmoil, her voice was perfectly sarcastic and dry, not showing even the tiniest bit of her true feelings. She had experience with that sort of thing. "What's the big deal now?"

"Gwen… I'm really sorry but you know that no-one can do this but me." He said while sounding honestly sad. Gwen just shrugged, still refusing to glance at him. But she knew enough of the internal workings of the NYPD to know that her dad was probably right. It didn't make things better though.

"Whatever, can you get to the point?" She heard a sorrowful sigh form his direction, and felt a clutch in her heart.

"Since I don't know how long this will take, I need to find you a place to stay while it's over." He said and before Gwen could respond he held up his right hand and hardened his tone. "It's non-negotiable Gwen! I won't leave you alone, without any adult supervision."

 _You are gonna leave me alone, anyway._ She thought but didn't say it out loud.

"So who's it gonna be, huh? Will you dump me on one of your officers?" She was careful not to raise her voice, keeping up the cynical façade. But she knew that it couldn't fool her dad so she decided on another approach. "If so, than can you chose one that's hot. I might need someone to keep me warm at night."

If there is one thing that makes a father loose his composure than it's the subject of his teenage daughter's sex-life. Even if it's nonexistent. And George Stacy wasn't an exception for that, either. Gwen could practically feel her dad tensing up next to her and from the corner of her eyes she could see how hard he was squeezing the wheel. It looked like a new dent was forming on it. To annoy him further, she finally turned towards him with a smirk and blinked her eyes innocently, as if to say 'pretty please'. It had the desired effect. She saw his jaws tighten and heard his teeth grit against each other.

Revenge was sweet until he smoothed out his expression and slowed down the car. Gwen realized that they arrived at the school parking lot. After the car stopped, they sat in silence for a few minutes. She wanted to leave the car already but couldn't until her dad told her where she would stay for who knows how long. She was being punished with the wait for her earlier remarks. _I wonder where I got my pettiness from._

"Since you haven't given any suggestions on where you might want to stay for the time being, I will have to choose." He said, finally breaking the silence. "I already asked her about this, in case there was no alternative, and she said yes. So you will be staying with Ms. May Parker."  
Gwen was pretty sure that her heart stopped after hearing that name. Because May Parker didn't live alone. This complicated things on a whole new level. She wanted to argue or suggest an alternative but her voice was caught in her throat. She was just gaping like a fish.

"She will be expecting you tonight, after you packed a few clothes and whatever else you need. And I hope you don't plan on causing her any trouble. She's not at fault for this whole situation and has enough problems on her own so please be nice to her. And to his nephew, too, for that matter."

Gwen was about to speak again but choked on her words because of the last part. She could barely believe that this was really happening. That she will sleep in the same house, eat at the same table and use the same shower as her inexplicable crush. It was a lot take in so sudden.

She wasn't sure how to feel about this but one thing was clear. She couldn't let it show to her dad, however it was. So she forced a shrug out of her tense shoulders and silently cleared her throat so she could use it again.

"Whatever." She said weakly then got out of the car, without saying goodbye to her dad and shoved the door shut behind her a little too forcefully. She quickly walked away from it forcing herself not to look back. She could imagine the hurt look on his face and she had to make her eyes shut and steady her breathing on order to stop herself from crying. She hated to do this to him but that was the only way she could make him pay for never being at home. _Yeah Gwen, that will teach him a lesson. You're not just making things harder for no reason._

Not wanting to think about this any further, she shook her head and focused on the next problem at hand. Which was Peter Parker, her new roommate. During the last few days, she had time to think about her newfound feelings and realized that she wasn't actually in love with Peter. She couldn't be because she barely knew him, at all. She was just in love with an idea, an imaginary person who she happened to give Peter's appearance, probably due to their recent interactions. It was nothing important. But that understanding led to a solution to this whole mess; she just needed to spend some time with him. Eventually her stupid emotions would realize that he wasn't the guy she envisioned him to be. After a few days she might even hate him. It worked with everyone else so far.

So this whole situation greatly helped her out, in a certain sense. Only, she thought it was a bit too much, too soon. _I mean there is a difference between talking to him in the hallway and maybe accidentally walking in on him in the bathroom._ Her line of thought was stopped however, because while she walked beside the bus stop the subject of her thinking arrived. And he wasn't alone. He was accompanied by non-other than Mary Jane Watson, talking and laughing about something, a sight which instinctively made Gwen turn on her heels and walk towards another direction. _Oh yeah, that's gonna be a problem too. I hope I don't walk in on that again._

She walked away from the various crowds on the front yard, until she reached the spot where she tried her first cigarette. God, she could use one right now. But she hid them at home and was afraid to bring them today, in case her dad got suspicious of her. So to satisfy her oral fixation otherwise, she unpacked the bag her dad had given her when she walked down. There were two sandwiches in it, both of them roughly the same size and smelled delicious. Gwen immediately knew what was in them; a quarter pound of corned beef with two ounces of Swiss cheese and two ounces of sauerkraut on Russian dressing. It was their favorite food, back when they spent more time together. It was also obviously homemade, despite her earlier doubts. In her shaking hands, she slowly raised it to her mouth and took a bite out of it. It was enchanting. She ate it slowly, tasting every little part of it as long as she could while she felt warm tears going down her cheeks. She didn't bother to stop them, anymore.

* * *

The awkwardness wasn't an issue for Peter, anymore. At least, not during the tutoring. This was their third session together since their agreement and he found himself easing more and more into the role. At first, he had no idea what to do. Since he literary told Liz that he would just observe and help only when she asked, he had basically nothing to do. That put him in a difficult position, having no idea how to spend time. If he just stared at her while she studied, it would be really creepy but if he let his gaze wonder somewhere else or he played on his phone, it'd look like he wasn't paying any attention to Liz.

He came to a resolution by clumsily pushing his chair next to her and reading whatever she was studying. Initially, he saw that Liz tensed by his sudden approach but she made no objections so he stayed. They were like that during the whole session and on the next one, by the time Peter arrived, she had already pulled the chair next to her.

The other problem was that, probably due to his speech, Liz seemed reluctant to ask any questions. It created a few frustrating situations when she was obviously struggling with something but wouldn't ask, while Peter wanted to help wouldn't dare to butt in uninvited. Eventually, he did and told her that there was no problem with her asking for help. It was the least he could do, after leading her on with his pretentious speech. After that got resolved, it went as smoothly as it could.

Luckily, it had a good side effect. Since there wasn't really any time schedule, after they finished he could patrol as Spider-Man and then swing home with a valid excuse about his previous whereabouts. Which was what he planned after today's session, too. He had spent the last few days gathering information about this Hammerhead gangster and he finally felt like he knew enough for an ambush. According to some semi-reliable sources, he and his criminal gang usually held meeting at a private club, on every Tuesday. He considered asking Betty for a conformation but he didn't want to give an interview just yet. So he decided to visit the club, prepared for action and if it turned out to be nothing then he could still ask her.

He had been planning his approach the whole day and had to force himself to concentrate on the tutoring. Fortunately, he proved to be right about Liz being smart so he didn't have much to do and had time to reconsider his plan over and over again. So it startled him when he heard her talking to him.

"…Hm? I'm sorry my ..ah thoughts wondered away. What did you say?" He asked while trying to hide his embarrassment. To his surprise, she just chuckled, a cute little sound, while shaking her head and smiling.

"I said I think I'm finished for today." She replied, then her expression turned uncertain. "But… Only if you think so, too"

 _Plus time to hunt bad guys!_ He immediately felt bad for that thought but couldn't really help it since he was really eager to beat up some gangsters. But he couldn't say that.

"It's up to you Liz. If you feel this was enough then this was enough." He said, and surprised himself again by how much (fake) confidence he could fill in his voice. She just smiled a warm smile.

"Thanks, Petey! For everything." She said honestly and her eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Flash is gonna pick me up any minute but if you want to chat until that…" She paused leaving the end of the sentence open, inviting.

"Oh, no, sorry. Maybe another time. I… I have things to do." He stuttered, his fake confidence disappearing. She seemed visibly disappointed, but accepted it with a nod.

"Okay, then see you around, Petey!"

"Yeah, ahm… bye Liz!" He said waving as he walked out the coffee shop door, consciously slowing down his steps so he wouldn't look like he was relieved to be free of her. He found that he didn't want to hurt her feelings, which granted he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but hers more than others. It was almost like they were starting to become friends. Which was ridiculous. _Wait 'till Sally Avril hears about it._

One would think that it's easier to change into your costume at night, and generally it would be true, unless you were doing it in New York where the night didn't necessarily mean darkness. Still, Peter managed as fast as he could and started to swing towards the private club.

Most of the information about it was restricted on the web (hihi) but he found a very basic description and pieced together the rest from online discussions and reviews. Going in from the main entrance, it had relatively big dance floor, with a long bar along the left side and a booth for the DJ at the end. On the right side there was a spiral staircase that led to the VIP room, about which he wasn't able to get anything, apart from having a top notch security camera system and that instead of walls, it was surrounded by one-way plexiglass, one looking at the dance floor, the other at the street below.

So, if he wanted to sneak in there, he had to find another way. The last remaining place was the emergency exit at the back, which was where he was heading. When he got there, he quickly assessed his surroundings. It was in a rundown alley that, luckily, had enough concealing shadows to hide him. There were two guards stationed at the door, standing with such confidence in the dark that was only possible if someone was either armed or stupid (or both). Peter hoped it wasn't the former.

Even though he had to strongly focus on them, he could make out the little earpieces they were equipped with. That meant that he couldn't take them out without alerting security. He had to sneak past them which would be tricky, to say the least. He was considering how to open the door behind them without them noticing when he saw some lights flicker. It came from one of the narrow windows that were strategically unreachable from the ground. It wasn't an obstacle for him, though so he decided to approach it, carefully. As he crawled closer, he realized that it was slightly open. He could barely believe his luck. In fact, he got a little suspicious of it, until he saw where exactly it lead; One of the bathrooms. In a club like this, a toilet would be filled with various unpleasant smells very quickly, so an opened window was logical. Peter decided to take advantage of it.

He squeezed himself through the narrow opening, careful not to make any unwanted noises. After a quick look-around he realized that it was the women's bathroom. _Of course…_ His heart nearly jumped out of his chest, when he heard the door open. Spider-Man quickly crawled to a closest corner of the ceiling, hoping that he would be out of sight of the incomer.

That person proved to be a pretty brunette girl around his age, judging by her looks, although the clothes she was dressed in were probably intended for someone older. She stumbled in, obviously drunk and maybe something else too, and slowly headed for one of the toilet booths. Peter got scared that he would have to listen to someone peeing, hugely violating an innocent (okay, well relatively) girl's privacy. Fortunately, she just threw up, not even bothering to aim for the toilet. _Must be a hell of a party out there._ He thought, while looking for a way out of the bathroom.

He didn't know if the club had security stationed inside, as well, so simply opening the door and walking out would be too risky. Even if he just crawled out on the ceiling, a door that opened by itself would be suspicious. He was looking for an alternative, when he realized that the girl hadn't moved since she emptied her stomach. While debating whether he should look for her pulse, she suddenly jerked up, cleaned her mouth with her forearm and stood up uncertainly. She walked over to a mirror and splashed some water on her face, not caring about it's effect on her makeup. The reflection however, gave a clear view of the hiding Spider-Man up the corner. She got a glimpse of him, judging by how quick her eyes widened. She closed her eyes and started rubbing them, giving enough time for Peter to silently climb right above her so he would be out of her sight.

When she reopened her eyes and saw nothing, she visibly calmed down and mumbled something incomprehensible. _Thank god for drunk teenagers._ It seemed though that his luck would continue, as the girl started walking towards the door, giving the perfect opportunity for Spider-Man to slip into the hallway.

The corridor was dark, aside from some flickering red and green lights, coming in from the dancing area. The two bathrooms were opposite each other and next to the men's room was the staircase that led to Peter's target. It was also guarded by two men that must have used steroids as daily snacks. One of them briefly glanced at the passing girl's ass, gave an admiring nod before returning to his bored expression. _How professional._

Fortunately, the tight security didn't seem to include the ceiling as far as they were concerned. Until recently, it mustn't have been an issue. So Spider-Man easily slipped past them, silently jumping from wall to wall to fasten his ascend. He was afraid that he would have to wait for someone again to open the entrance for him but it appeared Hammerhead trusted his guards enough to omit doors for the upper floor altogether. Instead it was replaced by a fancy arc and silk curtains, probably to muffle the loud music. Peter crawled in, doing his best to move the curtains as little as possible and found himself in a place he definitely wasn't old enough to be (although, in his opinion, probably nobody was).

It was dimly lit room with six steel dancing-poles, a few couches and a big round table in the middle, filled with various pills and other kinds of drugs, although the only one Peter could recognize was the pyramid of cocaine. Even though there were thirteen people in there, none of them actually payed any attention to the moving curtains. They were rather… busy. Each of the five men in there was paired with a woman, leaving three dancing on the poles rather professionally. And distractingly.

After a bit too much effort, Peter managed to look away from the twirling women to look for his target. The not-so-gentlemen were around their forties, rather handsome with neat haircuts and presumably visited some sort of fitness salon quiet often. They weren't exactly the street-level gangster looking type, Spider-Man was expecting. _So much for a real-life Scarface accent!_ Another common trait they shared was that neither of them had unnaturally giant foreheads. Somehow, Hammerhead wasn't in this meeting in his own club, much to Peter disappointment. _Who would miss a meeting like THAT?! …I mean, I would because it's immoral but if I didn't care about stuff like that._

He started to look for something that wouldn't make this trip useless, when he realized that there was a door at the other end of the room. He quickly climbed there, getting a rather interesting glimpse, on the way, of one of the naked pole-dancer, as she made a Y shaped move with her separated legs pointing at the ceiling. Then, he suddenly started to doubt if a tight-fitting costume was a good idea. He ultimately decided it wasn't, but had other things to worry about as he got to the door. _My biggest foes for today… closed doors. How exciting!_ After a little thinking he came to the conclusion that the occupants of this room had better things to look at than a door at the far end of the place. He silently jumped down and grabbed the door handle, and found, to his surprise, that it was lock-picked.

He opened it slowly, trying not to make any sounds, and mostly succeeding, slipped in and carefully closed it behind him. When he turned around he found himself in a big office with an enormous desk in the middle and a bookshelf behind the desk. At the right corner of the bookshelf was a huge safe, which appeared closed but the fact that someone already broke in here, meant that it probably wasn't. Although, he didn't see anyone else, the desk looked big enough to hide someone or even more than one person. He climbed up the wall and moved above the desk, but when he jumped down ready to attack, he found it empty. That's when his Spider-sense flared up and he jumped over the desk to avoid the incoming attack from behind. The burglar must have hid in the safe. Without thinking, he jumped at the wall, then pushed himself away from it, rolling in the air, before tackling his would-be-assailant.

When he looked down, Spider-Man found out that he was straddling the woman he had seen in the Vulture's warehouse. She was wearing her googles and her platinum-blond hair spread out beneath her head, making a good contrast with the black carpet. Her wide eyes disappeared as soon as she recognized Spider-Man and a slow, inviting smile spread across her gorgeous face.

"No flowers or chocolate?" She asked as she started to grind her hips against his. "I like a man who's so forward." She purred and Peter was very happy that his mask covered how much he was blushing. He stood up and stepped away a bit to give enough room for her. She made a pouting face, showcasing her intriguing lower lip before giggling and getting up.

Then, she deliberately stretched, showing off her voluptuous body and rolled her neck like she just pulled a muscle. But Peter suspected that it was just for show. At least, somewhere in the back of his mind he did. He was mostly stuck between being hypnotized, trying not stare and being grateful that his mask hid where he was looking. She just smirked at him knowingly in return when she finished, then spoke again.

"I didn't know you were invited to parties like that." She said teasingly, inclining her head toward the orgy filled room. Meanwhile, Spider-Man was still engaged in a fierce battel with his own blood-pressure. But he knew that by staying silent he would give her the upper hand so he forced himself to speak.

"I could say the same. And I see you dressed for the occasion." He replied, indicating her skintight black leather outfit. He hadn't meant to say something so bold but it was still better than nothing.

"Oh, you noticed?" She asked back, lifting up her right hand and then slowly pulling her index finger over her breasts down to her naval, while innocently batting her eyelashes. Spider-man thought that if he didn't divert the subject soon, he would pass out. So he walked around her, heading for the safe she had opened but not turning his back completely to her. Realizing that her deflection failed, she narrowed her eyes for a quick moment before sitting on top of the desk and crossing her legs. Peter stopped before the safe and put his hands on his hips, like a scolding mother. _Funny situations help me clear my head._

"Care to explain this?" He asked scoldingly. She just chuckled but before she could answer the music from the other room abruptly stopped. Even scarier was that there was no moaning either. They both tensed up and looked at the door. Then, a deep male voice came in.

"Alright. You're surrounded. Let's play this smart and come out here with hands above your head." He said and no matter how much it sounded like it, Peter was pretty sure this wasn't the police.

"Shit" The woman swore under her breath. She quickly moved over to the safe, opened it and pulled out a big bag, full of, presumably, money before strapping it onto her back.

"What are you doing?" Spider-man asked in a bewildered whisper.

"What I'm good at." She answered, then pulled out something that looked like a stun grenade and took cover next to the door. He followed her example a stood at the other side. But she didn't do anything, visibly hesitating, which looked odd on her.

"Do you know who that was?" Peter asked, breaking the silence after a few seconds, keeping his voice low.

"Hammerhead." She answered simply, thinking about something else. "I disabled all the cameras perfectly. How did they find out?" She muttered to herself then glanced up at him. "Where did you get in?"

"Ahm… hm… the women's bathroom" He said with a cough. She arched an eyebrow at that and smiled before frowning.

"They must have put a camera in there, too. I didn't think they would." She said, evidently disgusted. Peter hadn't seen any cameras there, although he didn't look for any either. That's when it hit him. _It was behind the mirror. Now, that's disgusting!_ He thought and felt his stomach turn. But right now, they had bigger problems.

"So, burglar lady, do you have a plan?"

"It's Black Cat." She said with a smirk but it quickly disappeared. "And I guess throwing this out and hoping for the best luck."

"I didn't think you were a strategist." Spider-man remarked dryly.

"Hey if it wasn't for you, I would have walked out of here without any incident!" she retorted, raising her voice above whisper. Peter just rolled his eyes and when he realized she couldn't see that, rolled his head instead. Judging by the confused expression on her, it was as ridiculous as he soon thought it to be. But during that, he accidently glanced at the heavy wooden desk and got an idea.

"Open the door when I say so!" He told her then walked over to the desk and lifted it up. It must have weighed at least three hundred pounds but it was hardly an inconvenience for him. He held it up with two hands and turned it so it could fit through the door. Black Cat stared at him with wide eyes, before visibly refocusing on the problem at hand.

"Now!" He shouted. She swung the door open, and he threw the desk out, right at their assailants. They started shooting at it, which Peter hoped would happen. But he didn't expect it to hit someone and literary break in half at the contact. The man in question was wearing a dark blue suit and he was leaning forward, showcasing his gigantic forehead which mustn't have been natural. If the hit hurt him, he didn't show, just cracked his neck by turning it left and right.

 _That's just wrong._ Peter though before quickly grabbing the Black Cat by the waist from behind and jumping up, sticking there and pressing her against the ceiling. No sooner did he do that, a rain of roaring bullets hit the spot where they had been standing and continued to shower even though it couldn't hit them there. Still he instinctively pushed away from them, pressing against a heavily breathing Black Cat. _Every cloud has a silver lining._ She calmed down remarkably fast and demonstrated her flexibility by carefully turning around so she could be face to face with him. She got something from her belt and sensually ran her clawed hand over his body before letting it, and the other one that was holding the grenade, fall behind his head, essentially hugging his neck, her face very close to his. Then she started grinding against him again.

"Admit it! You just saved me so we could be like that." She breathed seductively, somehow looking right in his eyes, despite the mask. Then he heard a pin being removed, then felt her right arm shift on his neck and heard the stun grenade hit the floor outside the room. In the meantime, she raised her other hand and put the earplugs, which she must have got from her belt, in her ears, before placing her hands on his ears, covering them, while resting her forehead against his.

The stunning sound was still loud but her hands muffled it sufficiently, and she also managed to distract him enough so it wouldn't affect him, aside from a little beeping. They moved at the same time, he letting himself fall down then jumping out towards the stunned thugs, while she rolled on the ground and followed him closely behind. Spider-Man simply knocked out the first person in his way, then used his web to disarm two others further away. Meanwhile, Black Cat kicked another thug on the face before he could raise his gun. Her fighting style seemed more experienced than Peter's but he made up for it with superhuman reflexes and strength.

Their enemies' dazed state could only last so long, however, and they found themselves at gunpoint again, by the six remaining criminal plus Hammerhead. Spider-man quickly shot web-balls at them, hitting some in the face, others by their hands, preventing them from shooting. Hammerhead, it seemed, was having none of that. He dodged, raised a pistol and started shooting at the barely evading Spider-man. He had to jump on the plexiglass wall, to distract his attacker's attention from Black Cat who seemed to understand his plan and got behind him, ready to attack.

Hammerhead, however, was no amateur. He must have gained enough experience over the years to realize the trap. He quickly leaned forward, so Black Cat's kick to his nape would miss, then turned around lifted her up before she could pull her leg back and threw her away. She flew at least ten feet before she landed, rolling on the ground but stopping before she hit the wall.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man was so worried for her that he only realized that his Spider-sense was signaling him 'danger you stupid shit!' a little too late. A man twice his size wrapped some sort of wire around his neck from behind and started to choke him, lifting him off the ground. Normally, he would have no problem dealing with a man even as big as him, but with his legs in the air, he had basically no point from which he could utilize his advantage and when he tried to punch behind him with his elbow, the man easily dodged it. He tried another plan by shooting web-strings at the opposite wall, to pull himself away from him, but Hammerhead and another thug quickly cut the string with butterfly knives. Usually, his web could lift a car, but if someone knew how to use a knife, he could cut the half-fluid substance from the right angle. And they knew how to use it. His vision started to blur and he black spots appeared at corner of his eyes, before his full-panic mode kicked in. Thanks to the new surge of adrenaline, he quickly came up with an obvious solution and kicked his choker in the knee, which gave a loud popping sound, along with a scream from the man, before he let him go. _I can't think straight in panic. I'll have to work on that._

But he didn't have time for that now, as he saw Hammerhead approaching fast, his head leaned backward, ready for a forceful head-butt. Spider-Man hurriedly dodged but his previous attacker wasn't as lucky. Hammerhead's forehead got him right in the face and pushed it against the plexiglass. There was a loud cracking noise before the poor guy's head literary exploded like a crushed grape and blood splattered everywhere, while a spiderweb-like crack spread across the plexiglass.

Peter was in had never seen anyone die before his eyes, and certainly not in this way. Even with his Uncle Ben, he only saw the corps during the funeral. But seeing the process with his own eyes was suddenly too much for him. He barely even noticed as his Spider-sense warned him about the guy with a butterfly knife coming at him and couldn't move a muscle because of his shock. The thug just got ready to stab him, when the end of a grappling hook shot through his throat, spraying artery blood all over Peter's costume. At the other end of the grappling hook's line stood Black Cat, over another unmoving body, her expression frantic as she shouted something at him.

But he could barely hear her voice, much less understand what she was saying. He could vaguely make out the words 'watch out!' before Hammerhead's giant hand grabbed his throat. This suddenly brought him back to reality and before he could be lifted off the ground, again, he pushed himself at the gangster with the full force of his feet.

That was pretty much all the plexiglass could take, as they crashed through it landing on the dancefloor beneath, stumbling over some guests. The loud music must have muted the sounds of battle from above but now everyone was aware of them. Well, maybe some who took a little too much drug weren't but they didn't really count. Peter rapidly stood up, looking for Hammerhead before hearing him shout.

"SHOOT HIM!" He bellowed from the crowed and the two men who previously guarded the stairs appeared with machineguns in their hands. They visibly hesitated, due the large crowed of bystanders but ultimately decided that their boss's command was more important and aimed their guns.

"No." Was the only word Peter could breathe out. His fear for others' safety gave him his last resort of adrenalin boost, as he shot two web-balls at them, to delay their attacks and jumped up so the crowd would be out of firing sight. But their aim wasn't the best and a few bullets must have hit one of them as he saw a young man being jerked back by the impact before he disappeared under the, now escaping, crowd. Rage, the like he had barely felt before, filled Peter and he threw himself at the shooters from the ceiling, knocking one of them against the wall with barely restrained strength, then kicking the other towards stairs, inhumanly fast.

After that, a little fear started creep inside him, as he realized that he might have just killed two men. He quickly checked for their pulse, and luckily found one with both of them, though they still had some serious injuries. _They deserved it._ He thought and felt guilty for barely feeling bad about it. After realizing that Hammerhead had escaped, he turned to check the other injured.

The man who was shot must have been in his early twenties, wearing black jeans and a light-blue shirt that was stained with his own blood. Peter saw two entry wounds, one at his chest, the other in his stomach. But that wasn't what killed, as his face was filled with bruises from all the feet that hit it and his neck was in an unnatural angle. The running crowed was his ultimate cause of his end. But Peter could barely blame them. They were just saving their lives. It was the right thing to do. Just like it was the right thing to use his powers to stop a bad guy the police otherwise wouldn't. And the right thing resulted in this.

Before he could wallow in his self-loathing any deeper he heard a painful moan coming from the entrance and he looked up to see the girl he previously saw in the toilet, holding her left arm, while a little blood leaked from within her fingers. He quickly ran over to her, which caused her to struggle toward the exit. Peter didn't blame her, but wouldn't let her go without seeing how serious her injury was. He didn't need another innocent dead on his conscience. She started to protest but he just simply took her hand away from her arm. The bullet only scratched her but he still wrapped a layer of web around it stop the bleeding. When she just stared at him with wide, confused eyes he nodded reassuringly, turned around before stopping mid-step.

"I'm sorry" He muttered loud enough so she would hear him, then ran and jumped up the VIP floor, hearing the sound of approaching sirens. The corpses were still there, but only them, as Black Cat must have made her escape during the commotion. Peter noted that the bag was missing too, before following her example and sneaking out the way he came in.

He was so exhausted, though mostly emotionally, that he had to stop twice on the way home. He didn't even bother to pretend to arrive as Peter Parker and just snuck in through his window. When he got out of his costume, he went to the upper bathroom he knew his Aunt never used and washed the blood off of it, while throwing up multiple times. He got the sinking feeling that he would have to get used to things like that. After he was finished, and went back to his bed, he started shaking furiously with all the pent up fear, guilt and excitement he felt during the last hour and couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried.

To say that he barely slept that night would be an understatement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property**

Chapter Seven: Distractions

Wednesday morning came abruptly fast, in Peter's opinion. He had been staring at his Osberry ever since the first sunlight shined through his window, waiting for the alarm clock to start beeping. But he wouldn't get out of bed until it did, still holding onto the faint hope of actually getting some sleep, no matter how unreasonable that was. Even after it started making noise, he just lay there for a few seconds before deciding to just get shit over with. He stood up and felt his eyes close as soon as he was vertical, like gravity itself was pulling them down. Which even to his foggy, sleepless brain seemed incredibly stupid. He rubbed them to get the sleep out, and walked out of his room in nothing but his boxers.

He planned on going to the bathroom but felt his stomach lurch at that thought, making him hesitate. He stood there trying to make up his mind, when the guest room door opened, revealing a beautiful blond girl in a pink t-shirt and fluffy slippers. Even if his brain hadn't been so mushy, he would have still needed time to figure out that it was actually Gwen Stacy. She looked so different without her dark make-up and black clothes, especially in this… sleeping attire. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, Gwen noticeably trying to pull her t-shirt a bit further down to cover more of her thighs. _Even her face looks redder without make-up._ He thought before his mind understood that she was actually blushing. That's when he also realized that he was only wearing his Rick  & Morty underpants with the label 'Get Schwifty!' on it. On any other occasion, he would have started blushing and done something awkward because of his embarrassment but right then, he just felt like laughing. He kept it in though, cleared his throat and went with the most obvious question.

"Gwen, what are you doing here?" His voice came out groggily, but to his surprise he didn't stutter. _And what a nice host you are, Peter._ He thought while watching her scowl.

"And what a nice host you are, Peter." She answered bitterly and it seriously freaked him out. _How!? Can she read minds!? Is she a mutant?! Oh no, she's gonna find out my secret!... No…Don't be stupid! That was just her obvious answer to my bluntness. Get your brain working again Parker!_

"Sorry… I just ah… didn't expect you… here." He said, avoiding her ice-blue eyes. _Aaand goodbye continuous sentences. It was nice meeting you!_

"I can see that." She said with a dry smirk, looking over his underdressed form, her gaze lingering a bit too long at his abs, which he didn't have before this summer. Then she caught herself and looked up at his face again. "But your question is fair." She continued without any trace of embarrassment, although Peter got the feeling that she was just really good at hiding it. "My dad dumped me here for a few days because he has better things to do. Which you would have known if you showed up last night." Her voice was carefully clear of any emotions. It was almost respectable how good she hid things but Peter somehow saw through that. But he would have to figure out later how he did that.

"Yeah… ahm I was away ah… tutoring." He replied when his alibi finally came to mind. She regarded him skeptically but only shrugged and started walking. Towards the bathroom! He suddenly panicked. _Did I clean up last night!? It's all so fuzzy I can barely remember!_ He quickly moved between Gwen and the door, raising his arms up and furiously thinking about an excuse why not to let her in. She quickly hid her surprise with an annoyed scowl.

"Did you call dibs or something?"

"Ahm… yes?" Her scowl deepened at that. "Look, just don't go in there! Please?" He said pleadingly. Her expression suddenly twisted into something that might have been disgust before turning completely blank.

"Is Mary Jane in there?" She asked, her tone entirely neutral.

"What?" Was the only word that came out of a surprised Peter's mouth. It took him a few seconds to remember the last time she must have seen them together, coming out of a bathroom, which might have been a bit… misunderstandable. Especially if he considered the dialogue after that. _What now? Should I go with that excuse? What would MJ think? She didn't mind the last time but…_ His thought process was interrupted as, much like many other times, his excuse was decided by someone else.

"I guess that explains last night…" She said, shaking her head but still leaving any emotion out of her voice. "Did you, at least, went to your tutoring or was this one of those 'absent times' to see if Liz studies without you?" She asked and this time her scorn was audible.

"Yes! Yes, I was there… we just finished sooner and…" He stopped mid-sentence not wanting to falsely confirm her suspicion. Gwen, though, took his silence that way. Then, a truly terrifying gleam appeared in her eyes as she suddenly focused on him.

"Does May know?" She asked while a slow, somewhat evil, smile spread across her face. Peter just shook his head, not wanting to complicate things further. But before he could plead, she interrupted him. "I won't tell… If you do something for me."

"Anything." He blurted out without one second of thought. If this got out, it could greatly damage his friendship with Mary Jane, and when it turned out that it wasn't even true in the first place, his aunt would start looking for what he has been trying to cover up all this time. So, whatever Gwen had in mind can't be worse than that.

"I want you to help me break into Police Headquarters." On a second thought…

"You what!?" He asked incredulously, raising his voice a bit.

"I want to find out what's so important that my dad would dump me here. And you're better at informatics than I am." She paused, glancing at the door, her eyes narrowing. "And not bad at sneaking around either. So?"

Peter could barely believe it. What Gwen was asking for him was a serious crime and one that he wouldn't be doing as Spider-man. Yet, the idea intrigued him. Not counting the fact that if he refused, his fake (and along with it probably his real) secret would be out, this could provide him valuable intel against Hammerhead and other criminals. And it would be a victimless crime, unlike yesterday's one.

But there was something else that kept telling him to do it. He didn't know why but felt like this was more important to Gwen than she let on. He studied her face, trying to catch up with his own subconscious, when he finally saw that her skin was still red in some places. Especially under her eyes. _She had been crying._ It was something he could hardly imagine the troublemaker Gwen Stacy do, and yet the evidence was right there. He locked his eyes with hers and saw desperate need and loneliness, hidden behind all the anger and disinterest. She was hurting as much as he was, though for different reasons.

"Alright, Gwen. I will help you. I promise." He said in all his seriousness. She visibly relaxed, taking a really deep breath which made her t-shirt rise from her thighs, revealing a cute, light blue pan… _Focus Peter!_ "But only after some serious planning. I don't want to end up in jail, for something like that." She made her vulnerable look disappear and rolled her eyes.

"Relax! Worst case, I'll have to make dad get us out of there." Peter somehow doubted it would be that easy. But he already promised.

"Okay. I'll be downstairs soon. I just have to ah… deal with… things here." Peter said glancing at the bathroom door, doing his best make his words ambiguous. Gwen's mouth thinned to a little line and her right eye twitched for a second before, she resumed her neutrality and nodded. She started walking towards the stairs but stopped and glanced back over her left shoulder.

"I will tell May that yesterday you arrived home not long after she fell asleep." She swallowed and continued with a bit more difficulty. "And I'll stall for you until I can."

"Thank you! Don't worry! This won't take long." Peter said with a small smile as he slightly opened the door and slid in, closing it quickly. Only after he leaned against it he realized how much his last comment could have hurt his already weak masculine reputation. _Rapid-fire Peter Parker. Not my best alias._

The bathroom was clean. The sink didn't have any drops of blood and the toilet was free of vomit residue, too. He must have been more attentive yesterday, than he thought. The bathroom was clean everywhere except in his own eyes. He could still see the blood of the man who couldn't get out of Hammerhead's way. Of the innocent guy who has been shot instead of him, and trampled over. And the one who nearly stubbed him before he was killed… by the Black Cat.

He had no idea how to feel about that last one. Gratitude, disappointment, horror or satisfaction? All of the above and more? It was too complex for his sleep deprived brain to decide but he was sure of one thing.

He would have to find the Black Cat and when he did he would ask her a few questions.

* * *

Schultz had lots of questions but the first that came to mind was; why would they put a highly advanced science lab, capable of creating super suits that can allegedly withstand rocket-launchers, under a shawarma restaurant. In fact, when his new employer stopped the car, he thought that she was just hungry and she could extort free food from this place. But she ordered him to follow, and they entered through an alley door, which revealed a dirty staircase that led down to the huge lab. The lab itself looked clean though, and completely new judging by the fact that not everything seemed fully operational. Still, it was fully equipped with test tubes, microscopes, chemicals, lab coats and other more cutting-edge stuff that he never bothered to learn anything about and wouldn't start now. At the end of the room was a window that reminded him of one from a police interrogation room, only from the other side. Next to it was a heavily reinforced steel door that separated them from the testing room, and had his only surviving partner, O'Hirn, leaning against it, looking as bored as ever.

When he saw Schultz coming in, he exhaled slowly and started walking towards him with an uncharacteristically sad expression on his face. When he was close enough Schultz started to say hello but was interrupted by the Woman next to him, who addressed the approaching man in his place. In Russian!

"Все готово?" She asked, the words rolling naturally from her tongue. O'Hirn looked as taken aback as he felt for a second before he just shrugged and answered.

"Я не знаю." His tone sounded annoyed, and he turned back to Schultz presumably to start a conversation but, apparently, the Woman wasn't finished yet.

"Вы готовы?" She asked, putting a little more authority in her voice to get his attention. It appeared to be a huge misfire, as O'Hirn stayed true to his chauvinistic roots.

"да." He answered with finality and then quickly addressed Schultz, turning his back to her. "Hey, how are you?"

"Fine." He blurted out fast, not wanting to give any opening to the woman. To his surprise, she just turned away, her face remaining completely free of emotions and walked away, though significantly not out of earshot. When it seemed she wouldn't go further, Schultz continued in a low voice. "This is gonna cost you, you know?"

"I don't care." He said but he still glanced at the woman behind him.

"What did she ask you, anyway?"

"She asked if I was ready. But I don't know why in Russian."

"It's probably just to annoy me. "He growled" She has been doing that lately… making me angry so I couldn't think straight." Schultz said, showing his pent up anger.

"Don't let her get to you!" His deep voice showing unusual concern. "We have enough problems as it is." Schultz had to agree with that one. He took a deep breath and let it out before asking:

"How are you doing?" It was surprisingly complex question, given their situation and even Schultz himself wasn't sure which way he meant it. O'Hirn though, seemed to understand it and chuckled, a sound that was filled with regret, weariness and a bit of nervousness, probably due to the upcoming procedure.

"I manage whatever the fuck happens." Schultz believed him. _Russians survive everything._ "You?" He asked back, his face showing hints of worry. _Do I look this unstable?_

"I'm just waiting to hit something already." He only said, but he knew that O'Hirn would understand his grief. And the anger that came with it. He seemed to, anyway, as he snorted and nodded his head approvingly. Then his face turned uncommonly solemn.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when it happened. If that fucking bug hadn't…."

"Then you would be dead or a useless recovering wreck like Mr. Schultz." Came the female voice behind them and they turned around to see Her approaching with a scientist looking guy, whose right arm was missing from the shoulder, replaced by a metal prosthetic that looked pretty low-tech even to Schultz. He looked uncomfortable as they approached them and didn't say a word, unlike his companion. "We are ready to begin."

O'Hirn looked furious that he was interrupted but he took his own advice and calmed down, remarkably fast, something he had problems with in the past. Schultz, however, only saw that from the corner of his eyes as he studied the scientist intently. He looked really familiar, but he still needed a second to realize where he saw him before.

"Hey, you're Curt Connors, right? From Empire State University." When everyone turned to him with socked expressions, he decided to explain. "I saw an interview with you, at the hospital, about crippled scientists or something."

"Scientists with disabilities." Connors clarified with a hard tone, and scowled at him.

"Yeah, that's it." Schultz said rolling his eyes. "So, being a professor doesn't pay as much as doing some extra-legal experiments, eh?" He asked in a mocking tone. Connors seemed shocked for a second before fury spread across his face. Then he glanced at the woman next to him and his eyes gleamed with such hatred that Schultz immediately felt him to be a kindred spirit.

"Whenever you're ready…" Connors said through clenched teeth, his mouth nearly foaming with anger before turning around and walking towards the control panels. He clenched his left hand into a fist and started massaging it with his thumb. That was when Schultz saw the ring on his finger. _Oh…_

"You make a hobby out of taking hostages, don't you?" He asked his employer, dry scorn oozing from his voice. She, as usual, didn't seem affected by the accusation as she just regarded him with a sort of disinterest one might give to a rock. Then, she turned to O'Hirn and inclined her head towards the metal door, not even bothering to give a verbal command.

O'Hirn probably would have made a mess of things if her phone didn't rung at just the right moment. But it did and she walked away before picking it up, leaving them behind without a care. They just stood there in silence for a minute before Schultz put his hand on O'Hirn's shoulder reassuringly. He nodded and said in a restrained voice.

"Let's get this over with."

They went to the door and O'Hirn entered without any further hesitation. Then, Schultz saw that Dr. Connors was alone, checking something on one of the monitors so he decided to join him, trying to find some reassurance that his partner would survive. When he got there and stood next to him, Connors tensed up but after a while he continued his work. He seemed methodical, like someone who's used to being buried in work as a distraction to real-life problems. He needed a distraction as well so he decided to start up a conversation. Yeah, he was that desperate.

"So, prof can you explain to me what is it you're about to do to my friend?" He asked, while watching through the glass as O'Hirn got into some kind of huge tube-like machine. The Doctor remained silent for a few seconds, probably trying to decide his intentions, which in a place like this was reasonable enough. Still, Schultz was surprised when he answered.

"How much do you know about Exoskeletal-Biomechatronics?" He asked back, while continuing his work.

"I know it exists." He answered simply, then added. "Now." He never cared about any aspect of science until it became essential to his survival. And he figured he might as well ask someone who appears to be actually good at it. He just hoped he wouldn't have to take notes.

"To make it simple…" He paused significantly to let it sink in to Schultz. _Condescending jerk!_ " After your friend enters that medical pod and all the safety precautions have been made, we will inject a silicon-based exoskeleton, in liquid form, that will, for lack of better terms, fuse with his skin and hardens upon contact with air. Meanwhile, a few nano-bots will attach themselves to his nervous system so he could control when to feel anything on his new skin. Touch is one of the most important senses and this is the only way we could manage to keep that and get rid of pain at the same time." He explained monotonically. Schultz suspected that the last part was the doctor's idea. Or their employer just didn't want to create something she could not cause pain to. Probably both.

"Wow, prof. I didn't know they did this kind of advanced stuff at E.S.U. How come the army didn't snatch you up before this?" The doctor looked up, sporting a surprised look on his face and blinked before answering.

"I didn't make this. I don't know who did. I'm just the person who can best operate this with the least percent of failure." He said simply but Schultz could hear the unsaid end of the sentence. _And who they could get enough leverage on to do it._

"And how much is the chance of success?" He asked suddenly more unsure then before. Connors seemed to consider it.

"Around 61% of an absolute success. If we exclude any minor brain damage then I'd say it's up to 90%." Schultz started to doubt that talking to him was a good distraction from his worries.

"Brain damage!?" He asked incredulously. "And only 61%? I do not like those odds!"

"It would certainly be best for everyone here if it were 100%." Came the female voice from behind them and Schultz nearly jumped out of his skin before turning around and scowling at her. _Sneaky bitch!_ After understanding the threat, he glanced at Connors who was now sweating and shaking a bit but otherwise continued his work. After a while he spoke up.

"Everything is ready. Can we start?" She regarded him for a moment before nodding.

The procedure itself was sort of a disappointment for Schultz. There were no flashy lights or buzzing electricity or explosions, only changing numbers and diagrams on monitors. In fact the thing was awfully silent. He expected, though not hoped, that this would be painful. That's when he saw that the window seemed really thick, which meant that the room was probably soundproof. They wouldn't hear if Alex was screaming.

"How much pain is he in?" He asked wearily, not trusting it to his own imagination.

"A lot." Breathed out Connors, but didn't elaborate.

After that, they just waited in silence for half an hour that felt a lot more to Schultz, before Connors pulled a lever and the numbers fixed on the screen. Then, the image of a laying O'Hirn appeared on screen. His skin looked sickly greyish and his body now at least twice it's already huge size, especially his forehead where it seemed they made extra protection in the form of a horn-like helmet. Only it probably wasn't a helmet since it was part of his skin now. _I wonder how he will put t-shirts on._

"How is he?" Asked the Woman professionally disinterested, but still managing to do so a mere second before Schultz did, which seemed to amuse her. Schultz was just glad that his gauntlets weren't here; otherwise he would have done something really stupid.

"Alive." Answered Dr. Connors, while he studied the monitor with a frown. "But that's about everything I can tell you right now. His skin got so thick that we can't get any scans about his internal organs. No x-ray or anything."

"Then how do you know he's alive?" Asked Schultz.

"He's breathing." He said simply, pointing the laying O'Hirn, and now he could see that on the glass tube above him, a little damp spot kept appearing, methodically. _Oh…_ "He's just unconscious due to the extreme shock to his body. But we will only know if he has any brain or other damage after he wakes up." He said to Schultz, then turning to his captor. "I've done what you asked."

"Indeed." She said, musing over the word as if it surprised even her. "Your wife and your son will be safely returned to your home." Then she paused, deliberately omitting the doctor's future, which caused him to pale. But before he seemed to near to passing out, she continued. "As will you."

Her hand darted forward in arc, as fast as a snake, hitting Connors right in his temple. He fell, like a bag of potatoes, towards Schultz who caught him under his shoulder, if barely. Learning from his previous experience he checked his breathing and saw that his nostrils steadily widened from time to time. _Not a killing blow then._

"A little warning next time, maybe?" He growled at the woman who just arched an eyebrow before turning around and walking away while speaking.

"You did not need to catch him."

Later, two bouncer-looking fellows came down and put the poor doctor in a garbage bag, very similar to the one they used up in the restaurant. They seemed to be accustomed to doing jobs like this, because they checked his pulse to see if they needed to cut some holes in the bag. Then, they were off, and Schultz had to wonder if he would end up in a bag like that after he finished what he was tasked with. Only, he seriously doubted that they would need to cut holes in his.

* * *

Peter seriously doubted he would find her but went out to search nonetheless. Even if he found Black Cat, he had no idea what he would actually say to her. _Thanks for saving me but why are you okay with murder? Yeah, probably not the best pick up line… where did that thought come from? Agh, I should really get some sleep._

The whole day, he was so tired that he actually fell asleep in not one but two classes that both ended up with him jerking up, sweating as if he just ran the marathon. He had nightmares about the club but in them, he was the one who killed all those people and more; the brown haired young girl, Hammerhead and even Black Cat. Now, he was stuck in the weird place of desperately needing sleep and being afraid to do that.

He tried to focus his mind on something else but school, as usual, wasn't much of a challenge to him, even in this mental state. So he mused on something that he felt like would be obvious to him if his brain worked properly; whether or not to tell MJ what Gwen thinks they did this morning. On the one hand she should know because it clearly concerns her, because it would be easier to maintain cover and because if she heard it from Gwen first, he would be in even bigger trouble. On the other hand, he had no idea how she would react or what he would do if she refused to play along, which even with someone as free-spirited as her would be a huge possibility. Plus he was sure that it would leave a strain in their friendship, something Peter found to cherish more and more as time went by.

As distractions went, this was a bad one but he had to work with what he had. Besides, it was something that could be solved through logic, which he (usually) excelled at, much unlike dealing with his traumatic experience. But before he could reach a decision, the day turned to night so it was time to put on the costume. He deduced that it was in the top five decisions of his entire life that he made a spare one, because he really doubted that he would be able to put on the one he wore last night.

So these were the things that brought out Spider-man to swing back and forth in the waste concrete jungle of New York City. The once exciting rush that used to came with the act seemed just methodical now, as a means to travel. From a self-critical point, he really hoped that this moping self of his would pass soon. It just didn't suit him well.

Speaking of suiting something well, against all odds, he managed to find the Black Cat, laying on one of the gargoyles of the Chrysler Building, her left knee pulled up, while her right leg dangled freely in the air. When she saw him she pushed herself up to her elbows but, otherwise didn't make any effort to get close to him. She probably expected him to do so.

Spider-man threw himself up in the air landed above her, on the wall, sticking to it and looking down on her pretty face. He noticed that her suit didn't show any cleavage because the zipper was fully up, something he had never seen on her before. _Well, it is cold up here._ He also noticed that her chest was bigger, but only because he was looking for abnormal details. _Yeah, sure._

"I hope I wasn't too hard to find." She purred, looking up at him, still refusing to change her position, which started to cause a problem for Peter as all his blood was getting into his head. _Though, as places for my blood to go, it's still the better alternative._

"What makes you think I was looking for you?" He asked, making his voice playfully disinterested. "I'll have you know that a man can easily swing back and forth between thousand feet tall buildings without any actual purpose." She chuckled, and managed to do it sensually.

"A man, are you?" She asked teasingly.

"Yes, Master Yoda." He knew he blew his cool façade as soon as he said it but his tongue refused to consult his brain, lately. But to his amazement, she laughed even harder at that.

"Will you carry me around on your back, hm?" She asked, finally standing up, somehow maintaining her balance in high-heels on the thin gargoyle, despite the wind. "Or should we jump to the 'do or do not' part?" Whenever Peter though she couldn't be sexier, she just had to prove him wrong. He let go of the wall and dropped in front of her gracefully. He stepped closer to her, trying to throw her off balance but failed, evidently. Then, he pointed at her chest and asked:

"Do you have something for me?" She seemed surprised for a second before showing her usual smirk and slowly raising her hand to her zipper.

"As a matter of fact…" She said voluptuously, grabbing hold of the zipper and pulling it down, very slowly to reveal… a thin manila folder of documents of some sort, that she somehow managed to stuff in to an already… tight place. She got it out, but didn't bother to zip it back, leaving herself open to the chilly night, which in return made goosebumps appear on her delicate skin. It revealed and concealed the textbook amount to be perfectly intriguing and, even despite his mask, she seemed know where he was looking, judging by her satisfied smile. Peter had to do something if he wanted to maintain a semi-normal conversation.

"You'll catch cold" He said, and got hold of the zipper before he started to pull it up. She, however, didn't seem fazed by that and when he wanted to pull his hand away she covered it with hers instead, resting it between her neck and chest, just high enough to make it appropriate, though barely. Then, she raised her other hand, holding up the documents before talking.

"After I got home, I found these in my bag, along with some other things I decided to keep. It contains detailed descriptions and accountings of Hammerhead's business all across the city, even some of his associates." Then, while maintaining that impossible eye-contact she did yesterday, she pushed his hand a bit further down to a place where it certainly wasn't appropriate, anymore. "I thought you might be interested." She purred, while taking a deliberate huge breath. Peter felt something poke his palm, causing his teenage body to overload with hormones. So, as a last resort, he decided to drop the bomb.

"So… Aren't we gonna talk about what happened last night?" He asked in a monotone voice. Her eyes widened, then twitched before she tossed his hand away from her chest.

"You're better than a cold shower." She said, her mouth twitching in distaste, while she scowled at him, though she didn't look directly in his eyes anymore. "I suppose you owe me a thank you, then."

"Yes, and part of me wants to thank you." Spider-man said trying to recapture her eyes, and failing. "But the other…"

"I saved your life!" She snarled, with such ferocity that he hadn't thought she was capable of.

"And someone else had to pay his for it."

"Would you rather wish I left you to die!?" She asked incredulously.

"No. I just wish it wouldn't be your first answer to danger." He said, and the look she sent him made him immediately regret it. Because behind her fury was clearly regret.

"You ungrateful piece of… shit." She snarled again, but her voice chocked before the last word, that made Peter's heart skip a beat. Because that's when he realized:

"That was your first, wasn't it?" He asked wearily, feeling more and more like an ungrateful piece of shit with each word. Her eyes twitched again, with something that might have been hurt before she turned her back on him.

"You're welcome." She said in an emotionless voice and tossed the documents to the side, which immediately started to fall. Spider-man just stared in disbelief before leaping after it, catching it after a few hundred feet of falling. By the time he got back, Black Cat was already gone and probably wouldn't come out for a while.

 _And you wonder why you have to lie about having a girlfriend, Parker._

* * *

Betty had to wonder why she stayed calm. Normally, she would overreact and throw her usual temper tantrum, mostly to innocent bystanders, but this time, she didn't care. This was, of course about last night's incident at Hammerhead's club. Her boss, Mr. Jameson decided that, judging by the circumstances, Spider-man must be employed by some competitor of Hammerhead, and thus labeled this case to be part of the underground warfare. Which meant that Ned, and by extent she, were off the case that ended up with Ben Urich who had more experience in dealing with organized crime. His two Pulitzers only proved that further.

Ned, of course, was furious and accused Jameson, though only to Betty, with building propaganda and refusing to acknowledge anything that disproved his point of view. He suspected that this was the real reason why their case was given to someone else. But even if he had a point, which she didn't really doubt he did, Ben was a trustworthy journalist who already managed to shine the truth on tons of cover-ups. If Mr. Jameson really wanted to deflect the public's attention, he would have chosen someone else. Plus, she thought that Ned wasn't exactly partial either, given his childish fascination with a real-life heroic figure.

Though, if she was honest with herself, she wasn't one to judge him given her run-in with said hero. She also doubted that he had anything to do with any kind of mafia. He just seemed like a naïve, young man, who seemed to have the means to create something as close to his idealistic word-view as possible. If someone like Ben Urich could prove his pure intentions than the world would have no choice but to believe it.

So she remained calm, despite losing a huge opportunity for promotion. Instead, she spent her free time to search for any available underground information she could find, so when he came looking for it, she could help as much as possible. She would still have that interview, though. No telling when that could come in handy.

She was just looking through conspiracy theories about secretly remaining Manfredi family members and two-faced philanthropists when she heard a knocking sound from her window. She chalked it up as her imagination but then it came again, this time a bit louder.

Her first thought was the get her handgun, a cute little Walther CCP, from the drawer but upon further thinking she realized that a burglar probably wouldn't knock. At least, not a smart one. That left two most likely scenarios. Either Ned finally decided to seduce her, with a classic climbing in through the window play to spice things up or Spider-man tracked down her home address and came for help. She honestly had no idea, which one she hoped it to be. _Both would be the best! …I really should get laid. My fantasies are getting out of hand._

She walked to the window and it turned out to be the latter scenario as she saw that trademark red and blue costume. She got closer and opened the window, as casually as if it was her front door. Still, the unusual scenario prevented her from coming up with any greeting, so she just stared at him, waiting for him to say something. He only stared back at her, his expressionless mask making it impossible to guess where exactly he was looking. Then, he finally cleared his throat before talking.

"Khm, sorry for coming this late." He said, surprisingly not joking. "Should I come back another time?" He asked inclining his head at her legs, which she now realized were bare. She was only wearing her nightgown that went down to her mid-thighs, and by only it meant that literally the only thing, not even any underwear. She felt her cheeks get extremely warm but managed to stutter out some words.

"No… I just didn't expect… company. Please, come in." She said while hoping that breeze from outside couldn't lift her nightgown. He climbed in and she closed the window before walking to her bedroom to put on some sweatpants. Not exactly the most stylish appearance but it would have to suffice. Then, she went back to the living room to find Spider-man awkwardly looking around and visibly hesitating whether to sit down or not. It made her smile before going over to the couch and hopping on it. "Please, sit. So what can I help you with?

"Yes, ma'am!" He joked, saluting before doing so, though he didn't look comfortable doing that. Then, he put a folder, something Betty hadn't seen him bring in, on the coffee table. "And it's rather what I can help you with." Then, he opened the folder.

He went through its content in a surprisingly mature way and Betty eagerly listened to what he had to say, either about last night or the folder. Though, he seemed to omit the parts about victims. The documents themselves were nearly unmeasurably valuable and could get her into a lot of trouble, but she decided to take the risk, seeing how important they were. She wasn't even disappointed about not getting an interview, as their deal required him to be asking her for information. Spider-man advised her not to publish the documents, rather just use them to find dirt on people it contained. Betty jokingly scolded him that she knew how to do her job. They were halfway through it when she asked something that's been nagging her.

"Look, I'm really grateful and all but why come to me with this and not the police." She asked, trying to study his body expression to get some kind of reaction from him. "I mean, even if they wouldn't listen to you, they could certainly use this no-matter where it come from." He remained silent for a few seconds before flipping a few pages to the end. There, she found a list of names and other details, including off-the-books monthly payrolls, all connected to the NYPD. Detective Christian Blake, Detective Carl Hoffman, Sergeant Rafael Scarfe, Officer Vincent Gonzales and the list went on and on, amounting to twenty-six in total. And those were only the ones who were paid by Hammerhead. Who knows how many others were there.

"I'm afraid this evidence would soon go missing or become corrupted." Spider-man said with a sigh, and his voice sounded a lot like a kid who just found out that Santa-Clause is fake. "Besides, I think the public attention can do more harm to them than the police. And, I trust you." He added with a shrug, but it meant a lot to Betty.

"Thank you." She mumbled under her breath, which caused Spider-man to turn his head toward her and stare at her for a minute, which started to become creepy. He must have realized it, too.

"Oh, right, the mask! Ahm… I just smiled a friendly smile at you." He said happily, then lifted his index finger and drew a wide smile on his mask. "See, just like that!"

Betty burst out giggling, and could barely stop herself from falling down the couch. With her job constantly requiring her to look at various unpleasantries, this was probably the cutest thing she had seen in weeks. It made her heart warm.

They finished the whole thing in the next half-hour and Betty agreed to keep the folder in a well-hidden place. Spider-man even made her promise that she wouldn't show it to someone she wouldn't trust with her life, because it might as well cost it. She rebuked him again, about having some smarts herself. Then, she opened the window for him, thought at first she started for the door, before catching up to who her guest was. He darted through it gracefully, made a flip in the air then shot a web-line up a building and swung away, before disappearing in the night.

Betty hid the documents in a secret place in the wall, behind a painting, that only she knew about, then decided to call it a day.

For the first time in months, her dreams weren't about Ned confessing his crush on her. It was a welcomed distraction.

* * *

 **The Russian sentences: Is everything ready? I don't know. Are you ready? Yes.**


	9. Chapter 9

**cabrera1234: No, not yet. Though she sees him as a sufficient distraction from Ned. I apologize if it was that ambiguous.**

 **Adrian17: Thanks! I really needed that! And don't worry I won't stop, I promise.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter Nine: Simple Thoughts

It took O'Hirn thirteen hours to wake up. During the wait, Schultz went out to get him some new clothes because his old ones wouldn't fit anymore. But he got bored really quick and only bought an XXL sized sweatpants, an Adidas, just to reinforce the Russian stereotype. Then, he asked some nearby thugs to help him put his partner on a hospital bed, he had previously rolled in the testing room. When they tried and failed to lift him up, they settled on just rolling him on the bed. It crashed under him but he supposed that a mattress on the ground was still more comfortable than that medical pod-thing.

He was just outside, in the lab when a medical doctor looking fellow came in and went straight to O'Hirn. He tried to take his blood pressure but after a few seconds, realized the obvious; His skin was too thick to feel his heartbeat. _I guess all those years in medical school weren't for nothing._ Then, looked through his medical bag to find something that could make him look helpful. The thermometer proved just as useless, though Schultz was really tempted to suggest him to try the rectal kind. He restrained however because he realized he didn't want to know whether there were any changes there and if so, what kind. So he just watched instead, behind the window, as the doctor used one of those mini flashlights to see how his pupils would react. The results were… graphic.

In one moment the doctor was kneeling before his oversized patient, the next a giant, gray fist was raised and the doctor was missing a head. A whole head. It came falling down a second ago and the rest of the body shortly lost its balance and fell over. O'Hirn slowly stood up and let out a roar that despite the soundproof room could still be heard, and even felt. Then he charged a door and the impact shook the entire building. The reinforced door, by some miracle, withstood the hit, though there was now a huge human shaped dent in it. Most of the other occupants of the lab must have thought the same way as Schultz, because they all ran for the stairs, not trusting the door to take another hit like that. They were right. _Must be why they got to work in a lab_.

After the last man got out, someone pressed a big red button on the wall and a literal concrete wall descended down the entrance, locking a still confused O'Hirn in the lab. After that, Schultz could follow his friend's rampage by security footage from a van, as he crashed lots of expensive equipment. He seemed to have fun. That privilege however, wasn't something Schultz could experience, as his employer appeared not ten minutes after the incident.

"How is your leg Mr. Schultz?" She asked instead of a greeting. Today, her sliver-white hair was in big bum, all business like. Schultz only noticed that because it revealed her long, delicate neck. He wanted to jab the closest sharp thing in it, over and over again.

"And, hello to you, too. What a nice thing to ask of me, dear lady. Or do you have an ulterior motive?" He asked his voice full of sarcasm. He had enough in his mind without being harassed by that bitch again. Before answering him, she dropped the bag she had been carrying and opened it to reveal his gauntlets.

"Put these on! You're going in!" She said and started turn around to climb out of the van.

"What!?" He asked incredulously "No, I'm not! If you wanna kill me just get it over with here!" He said, then immediately realized his mistake. She was just as fast as ever, turning in a pirouette before extending her leg, hitting him right in his neck, then pinning him against the wall of the van with her heels, much like she did with Flint, once. Instead of her usual disinterested expression, there was a cool annoyance in her eyes and he immediately wished her other self back.

"As much as it would please me, you are still useful." She said in an angry tone while she leaned closer, bending her knee. "At the moment, you can be used to calm Mr. O'Hirn down. You are the most likely person he will positively respond to. If it doesn't work, then we know that the whole experiment was a failure and we gas the lab. Now, that you know your worth, do you have any other question or remarks?" She was mere inches away from his face now, demonstrating her incredible flexibility. Schultz knew better then to annoy her anymore, but anger was rising in him way too high to make him think straight.

"Go ahead, bitch! Do it! Then let's see how you tell your boss you just wasted millions of dollars because you were annoyed." He snarled and started to hope that wasting millions just to kill him was still too high a cost. _If I continue this for too long, it won't be._ She tilted her head to one side, imitating some kind of bird of prey again, before talking.

"You contradict yourself. You call yourself valuable, yet you refuse to do what I say, hence making you disposable. And if you think you are the only one we can send in to Mr. O'Hirn, then you are wrong. I could send man after man to see if he would respond. You are just the most hopeful candidate." Then without any indication she let him go, causing him to fall to the ground, and turned around to exit the van. "You've got five minutes."

To his shame, he was ready in one. He descended the stairs and stood in front of the concrete wall/door, while his heart was pounding in his chest. He waited there for a few minutes and seriously started to suspect that the bitch was just trying to prolong his anxiety before the storm. Because he was afraid, and for more than one thing. If it turned out that his last friend's brain turned into nothing but mush, then he was good as dead. He wouldn't get any chance for revenge, and nor would O'Hirn, if the gassing part was true. And he didn't doubt it was. _That bitch would probably feel at home in Auschwitz._

With a big rumbling sound, the wall started to ascend, revealing a crashed lab and O'Hirn, who looked like he tired himself enough to stop destroying things. Schultz walked in slowly, trying to give as little reason for his friend to attack him as possible. He tensed up but only stared back at him, his face looking incredibly out of place compared to the rest of his body. Like it was photoshopped there or something. His body looked ready to jump and Schultz felt he couldn't take it, anymore. He had to know what remained of his friend. He looked into his eyes, despite the possibility of him taking it as a challenge, to look for recognition. After a few seconds, there was one.

"Herman. Schultz." O'Hirn rasped and he sounded like throat was dry as a desert. Schultz heard himself let out a relieved sigh. It seemed like speaking was an alien thing to him but he managed to gather enough wits to do it. And he had memories, too.

"Yes, Alex, it's me. How are you?" He asked in a calm, collected tone like one would talk to a wild animal. O'Hirn's face twisted in disgust and he shook his head before spiting on the floor.

"Amerikanskiy" He grumbled with distaste as if that fact just came into his mind. Schultz had to suppress the urge to laugh at that, since it could have triggered him. But it was good to see that his Russian side was still functional.

"Yeah, stupid Yankees, right?" he said with a friendly smile. O'Hirn only nodded sagely, as if he just said something profoundly smart. Then, they stood there in silence, unsure what else to say. _At least, he isn't brain-dead._

"Flint. Mon-tana." O'Hirn said suddenly, struggling with the second one. "Dead?" he asked but his accent returned so it sounded a lot like he was saying 'dyed'. Schultz understood though, and nodded in conformation.

"Yeah, they are." He said morosely while making a fist on his right hand. Terrifying fury spread across his friend's face and he started to growl so much, Schultz could feel the shaking from the floor.

"Goblin!" He snarled like a curse and smashed his fist into the wall, which just simply disappeared in it, leaving a bunch of cracks spreading all over. Seeing his strength, Schultz thought that they would finally have a real chance for vengeance. Then, he grumbled something else. "Chelovek-pauk!"

"What?" Schultz blurted out, then decided to just ignore that and went on explaining what he had to do. "Listen, O'Hirn! I want to kill the Goblin as much as you do but we have no idea how to find him. So we are gonna look for the most likely person who knows…"

"Chelovek-pauk." He said again, a little annoyed, which looked really frightening on him. That's when Schultz realized that O'Hirn had already gone down on that line of thought and figured out who their target was. _No, not brain-dead at all!_

"Yeah, you're right. Che…" He couldn't pronounce the Russian word so changed into his native instead. "…Spider-man will finally get what's coming to him. You'll make him talk! Or squeal." As an answer O'Hirn howled, got his fist out of the wall and smashed it in again. Schultz started to worry it might crumble if they continued this conversation. But he had what he needed. _That annoying little bug's gonna wish he had never picked a fight with us._

* * *

Peter whished he was in a fight. An actual physical fight, like the one in the theatre a week ago. He could handle that better. Instead, he was sitting on the school bus with Mary Jane to his right and Gwen Stacy to his left, in a separate row. This was the most awkward thing that happened to him so far this week and a few hours ago, he was involuntarily touching the Black Cat's breast. Well… semi-voluntarily. He would rather not think about her either, right now.

His biggest concern was that Gwen would meanly tease MJ about their secret (and also fake) relationship. He wouldn't put it past her. But so far, nothing like that happened though they had barely spoken a word since they got on. His tenseness must have showed because, after a few minutes, MJ turned to him with a raised eyebrow. The usual teasing motion was a bit more serious now, though. When he just shrugged, she seemed unsatisfied with that answer.

"Alright, you two. Spit it out!" She ordered, looking at him and Gwen. Then, her green eyes got that clever gleam in them that she usually had when she figured something out. "Is this about the bathroom incident?" She asked looking at Gwen, who blushed hearing how loud and open she asked the question. _Plus, she thinks there is more than one bathroom incident._

"Could we talk about this somewhere else, please?" Peter asked pleadingly. _Or never._ MJ just smiled at him.

"Aw, look who's shy now." She said with a giggle and pinched his nose. Somehow she always found a way for physical contact, with anyone. It seemed as important to her as the talking part of the conversation. Peter only thought about these things now to distract his attention from how good that little pinch felt.

"Certainly not you." They heard Gwen say, and both turned to look at her. She herself seemed surprised that it left her mouth, evidenced by the hand that covered it. She glanced at them, then bowed her head before talking in a reluctant voice. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm just tired. I'm sorry."

Gwendoline Stacy just apologized. And it wasn't sarcastic. Peter was tempted to look out the window to see if there were meteors in the sky already. Instead, he looked at MJ to see her reaction. He missed it because she must have thought the same way as him since she was just looking back at him, studying his face. Then she winked at him before turning back to Gwen.

"Don't apologize. You were right; I'm not shy, at all." She said with an honest beaming smile. "Does it bother you?" She asked, and coming from anyone else it might have sounded accusing or bitchy but she just seemed honestly curious. Peter turned back to Gwen, then started to wonder if he could sprain his neck with this much turning around. His new roommate looked terrified and guilty, like a kid who has been caught stealing. She visibly avoided MJ's eyes, before moving to the empty seat beside her, further away from them.

"Whatever. Could you leave me alone?" She asked in her usual hostile tone, but even Peter could tell that it was really forced. Then she put her black boots up on the seat and hugged her knees, looking out the window. She looked really vulnerable. But even more interesting was the fact that she didn't try to hide it.

"Ooh." Mary Jane said next to him, as if coming to an understanding. Peter looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, hoping got an explanation. But she just stared back at him, before shaking her head with a small smile. Peter narrowed his eyes. He hated not knowing things. He wasn't used to it, though he got some practice lately. It was why he could just fake a shrug and decide to find out everything later.

Just as he glanced back at Gwen, the bus came to a stop. They arrived. Peter gathered his courage and hopped over to the seat next to Gwen's, blocking her way. She, in return, shot him an icy glare that sent a shiver down his spine, but he swallowed and wearily turned his back on her to address the other girl.

"MJ, could you give us a second?" He asked her. She just smiled a knowing smile, for some reason, before nodding and walking forward, even hurrying the other passengers to move along faster. He waited until they were alone before looking back at Gwen. She just stared at him with wide eyes and even with all the make-up he could see some red on her face. _Has she been crying again?_ "Ahm… are you ahm… alright?"

He was never good at everyday talk, let alone serious emotional talk. Harry always tried to avoid those, so this was rather uncharted territory for him but he decided to do his best. Gwen's mask of annoyed indifference completely vanished and was replaced by very real shock and something that might have been anxiety. She glanced around to see if anyone was still there, before trying to talk, failing then clearing her throat and trying again.

"Wha… what do you mean?" She asked, looking at her own boots. _If both of us are going to stutter, we will be here all day. I should just get to the point._

"Look, I know why you're upset. And we're gonna do it, okay? Soon. I promise." He said, trying to be reassuring. He didn't get the response he was expecting though. Gwen just got even redder and tried to bury her face between her knees. Peter didn't understand it but chalked it up as some kind of emotional reaction to her saddness. So he decided to continue. "Do you have any plans, yet?"

"P-Peter this is… too fast. I just…" She mumbled something incomprehensible into her knees and started shaking. Peter nearly got a panic attack, because he had no idea what or if he did something wrong. So he did the first thing that came to mind and put his hand on her back and started to pat her consolingly. She froze as if someone just shocked her, but Peter continued.

"Relax, it's no pressure." He said making his voice calm and smoothing. "You seemed so sad, I just thought we could start planning the break in, so you could find what you're looking for." She jerked her head up at that and blinked twice before all the red disappeared from her face as she visibly collected herself. She let out a deep, relieved sigh and looked up to his face.

"Yeah, sorry. Just lost myself there for a sec." She said, trying and mostly succeeding to make her voice confident, "I didn't know it would be so… difficult." She continued, thought she looked at him weird after that last part. Peter just put that on the 'solve later' list.

"Whenever you're ready." He encouraged.

"Thanks." She said with a small smile, that she quickly made disappear as soon as she felt it. "Maybe… after school?"

"Fine by me." He said, then got up and held out his hand to Gwen. After a brief hesitation, she took it and he easily pulled her up before letting go of her hand and exiting the bus. Though before getting out, he could hear Gwen let out another deep sigh. While walking through the schoolyard, he saw MJ looking at him from afar. She raised her eyebrow questioningly but he just shrugged not wanting to reveal their discussion. She seemed to be confused by that, and then looked at Peter like he was a moron before a small smile appeared on her face and she shook her head. After she walked away Peter started to wonder; _Did I miss something?_

* * *

Gwen missed her old problems. Being rebuked constantly and getting annoyed with everyone was sure as hell better than seriously worrying about her dad's wellbeing and about whether or not her still inexplicable crush found out about her feelings. But one thing was sure. Mary Jane Watson knew.

That presented a whole lot of problems. First of all, she could spread it and even though Gwen didn't think she was the gossiping kind, she had been wrong about her regarding the slut part before. But even if she didn't, Mary Jane was still involved with Peter one way or the other, though Gwen had no idea if they secretly dated or just fooled around sometimes. The latter would certainly suit Mary Jane's reputation more but not Peter's. Regardless, this revelation would surely make things more awkward between them. Which was why she was currently hiding in her usual spot, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and lost in her thoughts. Both turned out to be bad ideas.

"Getting ready to smoke, again?" Asked literally last voice she wanted to hear right now. Gwen slowly opened her eyes, hanging onto the faint hope that she was just going crazy and hearing voices. Sadly, she wasn't (yet). Mary Jane was really there with one hand on her hip, and a half-smile on her face. She even raised one of her eyebrows, making her entire left side completely asymmetric. The worst thing was that this was literally the only thing she could criticize about her appearance.

"How do you know about that?" She asked back with a scowl, trying to regain her composure.

"I seem to find out a lot about you lately." MJ answered, and a full smile finally spread across her face teasingly. Gwen's scowl deepened and she felt the greatest gift she inherited from her dad take effect; her hard, ice-blue eyes. For just a quick moment it seemed to scare even MJ but she hid it incredibly fast. Then, her emerald eyes started to shine with kindness before she continued. "I saw you smoking the other day. Mr. Warren was heading this way so I distracted him with some silly questions."

"Why?" She asked immediately, hoping to divert her attention from what she probably intended to talk about. Plus, it also puzzled her. MJ moved forward and leaned against the wall, right next to her before shrugging.

"Because it's your business. And I know they just mean well but, I think, sometimes something bad is actually good for us. Don't you?" She glanced at her and she saw real curiosity there, not just emptiness after a throw-away conversation. It made her want to open up to her. But she wouldn't do it in a thousand years.

"Well, I just do it to get attention." _What!?... How!?... What the flying fuck is wrong with you Gwen!?_ She could not believe she just said that. She had never been this honest with anyone, including herself. Her shock was so extreme that she actually felt dizzy for a few seconds. She wanted to deny it, at least out loud, but couldn't get a word out her mouth. So they just stood there for a minute in complete (and for Gwen, uncomfortable) silence. Then, MJ broke it.

"So, how long has it been?" She asked without any hint of accusation in her voice. Gwen was fairly certain she didn't mean her smoking habit, though she would rather discuss that with her dad, than this. Still being unable to form coherent words, she did the only thing that came to mind. She walked away. "Oh come on, please. I just want to help!" She heard from behind, before Mary Jane caught up to her. They were already at the mostly empty schoolyard before Gwen could clear her mind enough to realize something. This whole thing didn't bother MJ at all. That made her stop and face her.

"Why!? Why are you so okay with this, hm? Aren't you two…" She found she couldn't finish it, despite the fact that swearing had never caused her any problems. The emotions on MJ's face shifted so fast, she could barely follow them but he was pretty sure she saw piety, frustration and that weird one that people only make when they try to get out of a mess that's been made a bigger deal than it should be. The red-head hesitated for a few seconds before letting out a quick sigh then perking up and looking deep into her eyes with a supportive friendly expression.

"You don't have to worry about that. It wasn't anything serious, believe me." She said with a warm smile, the likes of which Gwen had hardly received before, especially form someone her age. "If that's the only thing stopping you, then you should go for it. And fast, because Peter is actually a really sweet guy so who knows how long until someone else figures that out." She continued, lightening the mood with a bit of friendly teasing. Strangely, Gwen didn't mind it, though it might have been because of what she said.

She had the green light. Now, that was truly terrifying, somehow making this whole ridiculousness real. _It was easier when I thought he was taken._ She couldn't decide what to do now. But she was sure of one thing; whatever the result would be, she wouldn't decide right now in front of MJ. Deep down she was thankful for her kind words but she felt that she had already shared more with her than she meant to. Gwen was looking for a way to shake her off when she saw a familiar face walking by.

"Harry!" She shouted, trying to make her voice unthreatening, but even she could hear that she failed in that part. Harry Osborn let out a yelp that even a deaf person wouldn't call masculine and turned to Gwen with wide eyes. When he saw MJ, though, he straightened himself and sent a forced smile their way before walking towards them. _No wonder Peter Parker had sex with her sooner then you did._ She, of course, also heard the rumors about Osborn's unsuccessful seduction attempts. Which was why she found this the perfect opportunity to escape. She glanced at MJ who just sent her a look that clearly said 'I know what you're doing', then smiled before greeting Harry.

"Hi Harry. I had no idea you could imitate Sally Avril so much. Been practicing a lot?" She asked teasingly, making Harry blush, which didn't help his already emasculated character. Still, he tried to regain control and flashed, what must have passed in his book as a dashing smile towards the red-head.

"I was hoping you'd be willing to play Randy Robertson." He said confidently. _Jesus Christ Osborn, even Peter's better at flirting and he doesn't even know he's doing it._ She felt a jab of guilt for putting Mary Jane, who had been nothing but nice to her, in this awkward situation. But it was convenient for her so she decided to take her chance.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it, then." She started, then because she felt she had been too nice this whole day, she fixed Harry with her hard eyes who involuntarily took a step back. "But you better not push too hard, Osborn." She said threateningly and for dramatic effect narrowed her eyes and pointed two fingers at them before pointing them at his. Later, this will seem stupid to her but at that moment, she felt like doing it.

"S-sure." Harry replied, and despite deepening his voice it was evident that his pushy confidence was gone. Gwen glanced at MJ who just rolled her eyes at her but sent a forgiving smile nonetheless, which inexplicably made Gwen feel better. Then, without any other word, she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving the two alone, though she didn't hear any conversation start up before she got out of earshot. _I must have scarred poor Harry more than I thought. Am I really that frightening?_ She thought about how she'd been treating people the past year and about her dad with his reputation. _Yeah, probably._

Being finally alone, gave her the opportunity to think about what to do next, which she immediately regretted because it became clear to her that now would be the best time to ask out Peter, especially considering that they would soon commit a crime together with all those adrenaline inducing moments. Who knows what could happen. Even thinking these thoughts made her laugh because it was incredibly ridiculous. She really missed when she had easier problems.

* * *

Peter decided to worry less about his problems. He came to the conclusion that if he didn't make things worse then this whole MJ thing would just fade out eventually. As for the Black Cat, he will have to burn that bridge when they meet again, which he doubted would happen soon. Same goes for Hammerhead. So now he only had to focus on planning his break in with Gwen. _Hurray for easy things._

Gwen had texted him an hour ago that she was waiting in front of the police HQ. He debated the idea of swinging there but ultimately decided to just use public transport. Not his best idea of the day. it took longer than he expected to get there. The NYPD is headquartered at One Plaza Police, located on Park Row in Lower Manhattan across the street from City Hall. It's a big, red and ugly cubic building that reminds everyone that sometimes the lack of creativity can be rewarding, too. He had no idea if he should take comfort in that or not.

When he got there he found an impatient Gwen standing near the building, with her arms folded and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, making the dyed ends stand out more. She seemed rather anxious. As soon as she saw him approach, she sent him a scowl that, despite all the scary stuff that happened to him recently, sent a shiver down his spine.

"What took you so long?" She demanded, instead of a greeting, "There were at least five perfect chances while I waited for you." She growled at him but, quiet contradictorily, she also sheepishly put her right foot behind her left. It was a weird scenario which, for a moment, took Peter's attention away from what she actually said. But only for a moment.

"Wait, what!? You want to go in now!?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah." She answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You agreed to it this morning."

"No, I didn't! I thought we're just gonna discuss our strategy."

"In front of the building itself?" Gwen asked back, making it sound stupid.

"Well… I thought ahm… maybe you wanted to use a visual representation or something." Peter mumbled. Honestly, he didn't even wonder about why would she want to strategize in this particular place, until now.

"Are you sure you're the one I have to compete with for best student of the class?" Gwen asked belittlingly. The look she gave him was much the same though, Peter thought he could see a bit of amusement in it. _At least I'm funny._

"So, you seriously just want to walk in there without any planning whatsoever?" He asked, trying to emphasize how ridiculous that was.

"Yes." She answered simply, then narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't bail on me now, would you Parker?" She asked, slipping a little threatening tone in her voice. This caused him his usual reaction to fear.

"Nah. I'm not into suicide. That shit can kill you, you know." He deadpanned. _Why do I have a dark sense of humor around Gwen?_ "I just think it's reckless to do this without a plan." That made Gwen smirk.

"It's reckless anyway." She said, rolling her eyes, then mumbled to herself. "Why do you have to overthink everything."

"Hey!" He shouted with mock hurt. "I think I'm entitled to overthink this one."

"No, you're not" Gwen answered with a hint of annoyance before letting out a sigh. "Look, most people know me in there and won't question why I'm here. And since you're with me they'll leave you alone, too. We will just have to avoid those to whom my dad might have told that he wouldn't want to see me here, and I doubt they're even in here given how important this case must be, whatever it is. Your job and the hard part will only begin once we're in dad's office." She explained quickly. After thinking it through thoroughly (yeah, he couldn't resist), he had to admit that it actually didn't sound bad at all. It was almost possible they wouldn't get caught. He started to calm down when one last question popped up in his head.

"How will we get in the Captain's office?"

"I can lock-pick." She answered with a shrug and started walking towards the building. The near conception of Peter's calmness got terminated, as easy as that. But he followed Gwen nonetheless, thinking about the possibilities of his future. _I hope I'll get a nice cellmate. I can't wait!_

* * *

Aleksei Sytsevich could barely wait. He could barely restrain himself. This new skin… this new power… this new person he had become was intoxicating. The unbearable pain was worth it. Every second of it. He felt like… no, he knew that nothing could stand in his way, anymore. All those who had wronged him would get their punishment now. His old gang in the Bratva, Hammerhead, his new 'boss', the bitch, but most importantly the Goblin… and Spider-man. Both would be crushed by him.

His friend, Schultz, had tried to come up with a plan so they could lure the bug out, but he found it too complicated. With this power he had now, he wouldn't need any more tricks and twists. Things would be simpler now. So he had to apply simple truths. Simple truths like; a self-righteous hero would try to save a fellow self-righteous hero.

This was the thought that led him to sitting in the back of a truck. No other vehicle could take his weight. He felt his excitement rise again as he thought about where, and on whom he would get to let out his frustration. He would fulfill the dream of every criminal in New York. _We had never had any beef but I'm sure we would have, eventually._ He thought as glanced down at the picture of his bait/target; Captain George Stacy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter Ten: Head On

Just as Gwen said, they had no problem walking in. The security guard even gave her a friendly wave. She had meant it when she said that she wouldn't expect any serious trouble. If she did, she probably wouldn't have tried this in the first place. Her self-destructive side hadn't grown that much, yet. So she remained calm during the whole thing.

The same could not be said about Peter Parker, who despite excelling at many things, cannot possibly lead his adult life as an actor. He already looked as guilty as if they had just walked in there with bags full of recently robbed money. But even despite all his fears and moral issues, he had still done it for, as far she could tell, the sole purpose of making her happier. She started to wonder if her plan to lose interest by spending more time with him was actually a bad one. _Especially, when he looks so cute like that._ She quickly tried to erase that thought by focusing on how to divert the onlookers' attention from Peter.

She was just glad that it was a busy enough place, though she still had to wonder why some officers were sending knowing smiles at Peter. After a while, she realized that they must have thought that she was here to introduce her new boyfriend to her dad. That thought made her blush, which must have reinforced their theory even further, judging by the few muffled chuckles she could make out, though they were polite enough to try to hide them.

They quickly walked through the hall that had lots of rows of desks with computers on it and huge screens on the wall showing various kinds of data and some security footage of New York streets. When she glanced back at Peter to see how he was doing, she was surprised to see that he was studying the huge screens and their contents intently. She had no idea he was interested in police job. He nearly walked into a pulled out chair but before Gwen could warn him he simply step around it while keeping his eyes on the screen, like it was the most normal thing to do. _No wonder he could sneak around with MJ, with reflexes like that_.

They waited for the elevator in silence, got in as fast as they could when it arrived and pushed the button so they wouldn't have company. Only after it started moving did Peter finally speak.

"Huh, so far so good." His voice was filled with relief. "I hope I wasn't too stiff or anything. I'm just…"

"Yeah it's alright." She interrupted him quickly. "I hate being watched like that, too" She said while slightly inclining her head towards the left corner of the elevator roof, where a little hemisphere camera looked back at them. Luckily Peter understood her instantly (which hadn't happened so far) and remained silent for the rest of the ride.

Her father's office was on the fourth floor, which was fortunately empty. But their lucky streak ended there because when she walked to her dad's door, she found they had upgraded the security system. Instead of a simple lock, there was now a numeric keyboard and a shining red light, signifying the closed door. She hadn't expected that since the police, and especially her dad, hadn't really received any financial aid before from outside the force. Well, not legally anyway, though her dad hadn't indulged himself in that either. He must have been saving money for this. But whatever the cause, it was a heavy obstacle for them, nonetheless.

"Can you lock-pick that?" Peter asked sarcastically, though there might have been a little curiosity in there, too. Her annoyance must have been evident on her face, because he quickly raised his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Sorry. I just hoped you had something for this. Do you have any idea what the code might be?"

"Not really." She answered with a deep sigh. "I'm pretty sure a simple birthday date is out of the question. Dad's too paranoid for that." _And with good reason._ She added mentally.

"Okaaay…" Peter said, musing. "Can you think of any series of numbers that's important to him or that he wouldn't forget but it's not well known?"

"It's not on the list of our everyday conversation." She said bitterly. _We just usually fight. Or, mostly, it's me who starts a fight. I always know how to do it._ Which was true. Nobody knew George Stacy better than she did. _This should be easy for me_. She was sure it wouldn't be short but it wouldn't be random either. Her dad had a hidden sentimental side. Could it be…?

Despite popular belief, Captain George Stacy wasn't a modern-day saint. Nothing proves that better than the fact that, at a big celebration for finally getting into the NYPD, he accidently got a woman pregnant. This accident would later be known as Gwendoline Stacy. As some twisted way of atonement, they decided to get married, under the excuse of making their child's life easier. It didn't really work out like that.

Gwen's mother was, to simply put, a bitch. After her daughter was born, she was barely home, which was interesting considering that she had no job whatsoever. Form what little she remembered and from what others had told her, there were numerous cases of her mother getting arrested for public drinking and even drug use, once. To top it all, she had spent many nights elsewhere, in the company of other men, while her dad and she were left home, wondering if she would ever come home. George Stacy, of course, knew about everything and tried to reason with her, when he thought Gwen was already asleep, which usually ended in a fight. But he tolerated all that because he believed that it was still better than Gwen having no mother.

That delusion changed one night, however, when little Gwen was around eight. He had his first big case as a detective, so after a long night, he managed to convince his wife to stay home with their daughter, while he worked. Only, after he left, the woman invited some 'friends' over. Thought she didn't have many memories about that night, she was sure there were at least three strange men and even one woman. They had spent most of the time in the matrimonial bed, leaving a little girl alone in the living room, wondering what exactly was going on.

When her dad found out what happened, he had been so angry, that it was the only time Gwen had actually been afraid of him. They had shouted multiple times during their late-night fights but this time, he just snarled in a low furious whisper and his trademark icy-blue eyes blazed with cold anger. Among other things, he had called his wife undeserving of this family and filed for divorce by the afternoon. Her mother had fought for legal guardianship, though probably just for child support, but the judge (luckily) found her unfit. After that, when it came to the discussion of visiting hours, she simply said 'you can keep her' and was off, probably to some whorehouse in Las Vegas.

It was after this that her dad started to put more effort into his work and managed to accomplish as much as he did. By judicial ruling, Gwen's mother was forced to leave a contact number. Neither of them ever tried if it worked but both of them knew it by heart. With an old, long since untouched hatred, Gwen Stacy entered the numbers. The red light turned green. They were in.

While they entered, Gwen was trying to come to terms with her emotions. It must have been evident on her because Peter didn't ask how she knew the code. He just gave her comfortable silence and she gratefully took it. After a few seconds, she managed to calm herself down enough and turned to him.

"There's his personal PC. You should start there." She said pointing at his dad's desk. "I'll look through the paper based files." Peter started moving towards the desk, then hesitated.

"I'm sorry to repeat myself but can you guess the password?" He asked sensibly. Gwen just blinked before letting out a sigh. She had so much in her mind that she completely forgot about a password. She really doubted that her dad would use the same thing twice. _It's probably enough for him to do it once a day._ But before she could think about other possible passwords, a firm female voice entered the room.

"You have literally seconds to explain yourselves." Came the voice of Lieutenant Jean DeWolff, a serious looking brunette in her late thirties. She had her right hand on her gun-holster as a threat, though she probably didn't mean to draw it, while the other rested on her radio. She quickly glanced at Gwen, and she visibly recognized her before looking back at Peter and hardening her gaze. Gwen heard a gulp form behind her and decided to say something before things got worse.

"Hi Jean. I'm just looking for dad. Have you seen him?" She asked, making her voice completely nonchalant. She received a skeptical look before Jean inclined her head towards Peter.

"What's he doing here?" She asked then looked Peter straight in the eyes, who, of course, had to look away, earning a smirk from Jean, "Who are you?"

"P-Peter Parker." Ha answered before Gwen could interrupt, but to his credit he looked back straight in Jean's eyes. Understandably though, police doesn't take challenges lightly, so Gwen decided to distract Jean's attention.

"He's just escorting me." She said and when she realized that it won't be enough of an excuse, she swallowed her pride. "And he's here to make sure I don't do anything stupid." She said with a fake pout. Jean glanced back and forth between them before steadying her gaze on Peter, again. He sent her a weak smile and said simply:

"I failed."

Whatever Lieutenant DeWolff had as an answer, was never revealed, as the building suddenly shook, as if hit by an earthquake before the lights went out and the alarms went off. Jean got her pistol out, studied them for a few more seconds before speaking.

"Both of you get out of here! Use the emergency exits!" Then she gave a final look to Gwen "This is not over!" She said and ran off towards the stairs to find out what's going on. Peter let out a huge sigh, then turned towards her.

"I think we should listen to her." He said. He probably figured out that she would think this the perfect opportunity to have a quick look-around. She was still undecided when a second rumbling shook the building, followed by an inhuman roar. She decided that this wouldn't be worth her life. _And certainly not Peter's._

They ran down the emergency stairs, hoping they wouldn't bump into anyone else on the way. They were on the second floor when there was another tremor and the concrete stairs simply cracked beneath them before starting to fall apart. Huge gaping hole appeared and Gwen felt the ground disappear before starting to fall. She didn't even have time to let out a scream as the floor came closer frightfully fast. But a few feet before she could hit it, she felt something stick to her hips before she was abruptly stopped.

After recovering from her shock, she touched the whatever that had saved her, only to find a sticky spider-web like substance. Tons of questions started running through her head but ultimately one won over the others. _Where is Peter?_ She looked around to find him dangling in the air, much like her, though he had his legs webbed up instead of his hips. He was a couple of feet above her and was looking at her with a worried expression.

"Gwen! Say something! Are you alright!?" He shouted with evident concern. He seemed perfectly fine, apart from holding his left wrist in his other hand. He must have hit it or something.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered, hiding her fear in an annoyed voice. "I'm just stuck here. I don't think I can get out this stuff." She said, although she was immeasurably grateful for whoever did this. She looked around to see the damage to the building which caused her to spin horizontally. This didn't make things easier for her one bit.

"I think I can get myself out." Peter started from above her. "Only... I'm too high up. B-But I could… I mean if you don't mind… I could climb down… on you?" He finished his babbling with an awkward question. Gwen was happy that only the emergency lights were on and he couldn't see her blush. It wouldn't suit her character.

"Just get it over with." She replied with a fake irritated sigh. Peter nodded and did a truly remarkable antigravity sit-up. Then he grabbed the web-thread that held Gwen with one hand and pulled his shoes off his feet with the other. They stayed stuck while Peter wrapped himself around the thread and shimmied down to Gwen. Then he sucked in a quick breath and exhaled just as fast before wrapping his legs around Gwen and spinning under her while still holding onto the web with his hands. It was an uncharacteristically agile movement and it made her wonder if this was the reason Mary Jane kept him around. Though this thought mostly served as a distraction from their current position, which was like the missionary only with reversed roles. _Gwen, your life is in danger. Think about this stuff later!_

"Ahm, we have a problem." _Don't tell me you have an erection. Don't tell me you have an erection. Don't tell me you…_ "I don't have anything to cut the web with." _Ah, thank god… though that's not that good._ She thought about what to do before remembering something and started blushing even more.

"Th-There's a cardsharp knife in my back pocket." Peter sent her a confused look which caused their nose to touch and they pulled back their heads instantly. Gwen decided to give a quick rundown to move things along. "It's a plastic card-like thing that can be folded into a knife. Can you… reach it?" Peter nodded hesitantly then moved under her a little.

"Ahm, sorry in advance." He said innocently before she felt hand touch her butt and get in her pocket for the first try. He probably didn't want to prolong this for her sake.

"That's the wrong p-pocket." Gwen said shakily. Peter froze, then quickly pulled out his hand when he realized it was still there. He gave her an apologetic look to which she just rolled her eyes and inclined her head in a 'hurry up already' kind of way. He did and pulled the cardsharp out on the second try. He fumbled with something for a few seconds before she heard ripping noises and realized that he just cut the web. She braced herself but was surprised to see that they hadn't started falling yet.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked. He was holding them up with only one arm since the other had the knife. It didn't look like it bothered him much, though. She nodded and buried her head in his shoulders to avoid whiplash. They started falling but somehow it wasn't as terrifying as the first time.

When they landed, the impact hurt her a bit but she landed on Peter so he must have got the worst of it. But when she looked at him, he seemed unfazed and sent her a worried look. She realized that they were still wrapped around each other so she got up and pulled Peter up along the way as a thanks. When she wanted to release his hand, he strengthened his grip on hers and started gently dragging her towards the exit, wherever that was. Peter must have assessed the situation better than she did because he got her out of the building remarkably quick. They climbed through some rubble and Peter leaned her against a wall. He quickly checked her over if she was hurt, then simply turned around and started running back.

"Hey… Where the fuck… are you going?" Gwen shouted after him between coughs. He slowed for a second before starting to run again.

"For my shoes." He answered simply and disappeared in the building. She just stared after him for a second before letting out a frustrated shout and starting go after him. But a couple of officers appeared from behind her and held her back despite her trashing around and shouting that someone else was still in there.

 _If something happens to you, Peter Parker, I'll kill you!_

* * *

 _Killing Spider-man will be a piece of cake like this._ Thought O'Hirn, while he crashed through another wall. It was like walking thought water; there was a little resistance at first but it quickly gave way. He heard popping sounds and realized that there were still some policemen shooting him. Not that it mattered. He was unstoppable.

As soon as the truck stopped, he got out of it and ran for the building at full force. The time of overcomplicated planning and strategies was over. Now, things were simple. Things got in his way and they broke. And he enjoyed it more than anything before. Even if his memories were still a little fuzzy, he could hardly think of anything he would rather do. The New York City Police Department crushed by a single man. A dream come true.

He was really surprised when things turned out as he imagined. He just crashed through the entrance and punched away a few people who just flew like ragdolls. He didn't even stop until he hit something that must have been a central power source because all the lights went out. Panic was imminent. With the sunlight coming in from outside he could see officers taking cover and getting their guns. Useless, outdated things. He stopped in front of them on purpose and waited until one of them started to shoot. He could vaguely feel something on his skin as if someone was flicking little nuts at him. More joined in and they continued until their clips were empty. O'Hirn stood there, unfazed and tried to look most of them in the eye. They just stared back in shock and disbelief before absolute terror started to spread across their faces. They knew they were outmatched. That they wouldn't have any chance whatsoever. They were hopeless. O'Hirn could help but let out a laugh and beat the ground with his leg in his amusement, causing the building to shake.

One of them, a Hispanic looking fellow, got over his fears faster than his partners and reloaded. This time however, he aimed for his face. The hit there was definitely more sensible, like a slap concentrated on a tiny spot. But O'Hirn was used to being hit and didn't let his pain show. He didn't want to diminish their dread. Instead, he turned to the policeman and run towards him. He started to scramble away but O'Hirn quickly grabbed him from behind. The man struggled in his grip and let out a horrified scream but there was nothing else he could do. O'Hirn lifted him off the ground and forced himself to talk.

"Officer…" He said with a throaty voice. Speaking was still hard for him for some reason, and even his accent returned. But he continued nevertheless. "I… am… here… to… break… the… law." Then, to further prove his point, he clenched his hand and broke the man in his grip. It was in the blink of an eye. One moment the Hispanic was still flailing in his hand and then, after a big crack, his upper body was just a useless slack of meat, filled with broken bones. His screaming abruptly stopped and he somehow managed give a surprised expression before the lights faded from his eyes. O'Hirn let go of the lifeless body and it collapsed onto the ground.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered that his old self wouldn't have done something like this. Surely, he had done some torturing to get information or to intimidate and he often liked to show his superiority with his physical strength but never like this, before. And not because he didn't have this much of it back then. Well, not just because. But all the pain he's been through to get this new skin, both physical and mental, had changed him. It revealed a more primal side of him. He felt like he should be afraid of it but, instead, he found himself think of it with nothing but contempt. Raw power, just like nature intended it. _The strong survive._

While these thoughts ran through his head, a blonde female officer decided to take a desperate revenge. Stupid blondie. She lifted a nearby chair and smacked his shoulder, since that was all her heights could reach. It bounced off of him without any effect, aside from annoying him a bit. O'Hirn simply backhanded her, and even he could hear the air make a loud whooshing sound. He also heard, more than felt the way her neck and scull broke from the impact before she was swung back, then landing and rolling a few meters, lifelessly.

The color of her hair reminded him why he came here in the first place and he started running for the stairs. But before he could get through the door, something flew past his head before everything went white. He stumbled and fell, rolling on the ground before hitting the wall with such force that he once again felt the entire building shake. His ears were bleeping so loud it actually made his head hurt. Blinded and frustrated, he started smashing around himself, breaking through concrete over and over again until his sight started to come back. He started to get up when something hit him right in the chest. It felt like a fist, separated into lots of tiny pieces. The surprise pushed him back more than the actual blast but it must have encouraged his attacker since he fired again. This time it was less effective. thought it still stung a little.

O'Hirn looked up to see a policeman in full riot gear holding an automatic shotgun before firing again. The Russian quickly looked down so it wouldn't hit his face. He felt the impact on his horn which gave him an idea. He quickly pushed himself up and charged letting out a furious roar. The man had no time to escape. O'Hirn felt the horn stab through the Kevlar vest and enter the man's body with a meaty sound. It wasn't long enough to get out in the back. He felt something warm stream down his forehead before the red liquid started dripping from his face. He was drenched in blood.

He stopped and unhooked the dead body before tossing it aside. He didn't see any reflections of him but he was pretty sure he looked like a real-life monster. A freak. That made him pause. He hadn't thought about it that way, yet. He only agreed to the transformation to level the field with the Goblin and Spider-man. But now, it came to his full realization that he was, from now on, one of them. More or less than human, it didn't matter but not a human, that's for certain. A beast. An animal. But what scared him the most was that it felt more right this way. Like being a human was just a cage. Now, he got to be free.

His pondering got interrupted, yet again, though this time it was a bit more effective. His head got hit by a giant piece of concrete. It shattered but managed to make him wobble and see stars for a few seconds. He started to look for the source and realized that the list of people who could have thrown it was very limited. After a few moments, his suspicion was proven.

"You suck at dodgeball, don't you?" Asked a young mocking voice and O'Hirn looked up to see Spider-man casually standing on the ceiling, upside down, holding another piece of concrete, this one the size of his head.

"YOU!"

"Me." He replied simply, then leapt down, spun in the air and threw the concrete again. Instead of dodging it, O'Hirn deliberately shattered it with his forehead before charging the landing Spider-man. He reacted incredibly fast and rolled with the landing before jumping out of his reach. He landed a few broken desks away and probably got ready for another snarky remark but froze when he looked down. One of the dead bodies was there, all broken up. O'Hirn had to smirk. _Now, I got you._

He charged again and Spider-man recovered just in time to dodge him again. But O'Hirn had other plans as he got hold of the dead body and threw it at the fleeing freak. He caught it awkwardly, stumbled onto his back and even despite his mask, O'Hirn could see his shock. It was all the distraction he needed. He jumped up and raised his hands in sledgehammer blow. But he hadn't considered the new strength of his legs and his new heights. His intertwined fists crashed into the ceiling and pushed through for a second, slowing down his blow.

That gave Spider-man enough time to react and roll away. But O'Hirn had no intentions to let any chance slide. The earthshaking blow, though missed, faltered Spider-man's movements, which gave him enough time to sling his arm towards him with full force. Somehow, he sensed it, too, but instead of getting out of its way, he hopped up, put his legs against it and jumped along the swing, lessening the damage. He still flew away a bit but had enough mind to roll with the landing, shoot a web-string and pull out of sight.

O'Hirn got a little frustrated for the miss but didn't worry. He had a feeling that Spider-man wouldn't leave the scene until only one of them was standing. And he had a pretty good guess who it would be.

* * *

When Peter had to guess about worst case scenarios concerning today, he had to admit that he lacked imagination. On the other hand, if the possibility of a rhinoceros-man destroying and massacring a police station had come to his mind, he would have sought out a psychiatrist. He wasn't sure if he still shouldn't, after all this.

He had been terrified ever since the stairs crumbled down beneath him and Gwen. He saved her by reflex and luckily had enough frame of mind to hide his secret identity by webbing himself to the ceiling, too. He hoped his following acrobatics and the fact that he had red 'socks' didn't reveal too much. But even if it did, at least he saved her. _Positive attitude!_ He needed to maintain that, considering the horror he stepped back into.

The hall that was once filled with desks and working people looked like a besieged fortress. There was rubble and wreckage everywhere. And in the middle of it stood that… thing. It ( _he? god I hope so_ ) was huge, grey and had a horn on his head, which was bleeding by the looks of it. _That's what you get when you start running into walls._ He chuckled to himself.

But his amusement didn't last long. When he saw the broken body of the blonde woman, his first thought was that Gwen somehow got back after him. But she was wearing a police uniform. It wasn't her but that didn't really make it any better. Because of his shock he mostly had to rely on his spider-sense to get away from the oncoming attacks. The last one was especially tricky but he managed anyway, though he suspected that he would feel the pain in his legs for a few days.

He got out of the monster's sight and hid for a few seconds to calm down and think things through. Fighting this guy in hand to hand combat would put Peter in a disadvantage, since he was at least as strong if not stronger than him. He also got the sinking feeling that the blood on his face wasn't his, which meant that he had been running through concrete wall without getting a scratch. For the first time since he got his powers, he started to feel weak. Like he was in over his head. Then he remembered the broken body of the policewoman. How, despite having no chance of winning, she still challenged that monster. _Because it was her responsibility. And now, it's mine!_

With a newfound resolve, Spider-man jumped up a wall and crawled out of his hiding spot. It seemed though that his opponent was expecting him. He was holding a dead body, who had a hole in his chest, by the leg. He swung it at Peter as soon as he saw him. Thought the act still sickened him, he could control it better than the last time. He jumped out of the way, shoot a web at the ceiling, swung around him and aimed a kick at his nape, hoping he could cause some damage there, even if just internally. As soon as his feet contacted, he felt a flash of pain surge through his entire body, as if struck by lightning. Although he wasn't sure yet, he suspected that he just sprained his ankle.

Fortunately, it wasn't for nothing as the monstrously huge man stumbled forward a few steps. Unfortunately, that was all the effect it had. _But it wasn't nothing! Yay, for optimism!_ The man turned around with a livid gleam in his eyes. Spider-man didn't give him the opportunity to charge. He jumped up and landed both his feet on his enemy's shoulders, then pulled back his arm and punched, aiming for his nose. He definitely felt something crack, though he wasn't sure if it was only his index finger or the nose, too. His opponent, at least, grunted, before Peter's spider-sense flared up and he jumped away. He turned around in the air just in time to see the man hit himself in the face. Seriously. Spider-man couldn't keep himself from letting out a huge belly laugh.

"Heh… I know it's outdated and cliché but heh… why are you hitting yourself?"' He asked, still laughing. It felt good to let out some stress. But it seemed the other guy didn't share his amusement, as he let out a huge roar and shouted.

"Poshel ty!" He said and Peter wondered if he was speaking in another language or just spitting out gibberish. Both were equally likely. He didn't have time to decide, however as the guy charged again, his sharp horn pointing at Peter's chest. He jumped up easily evading the attack. Sadly, that was all he could do since he couldn't think of a way to harm him back. He needed time. He decided to make some by using his most deadly ability; talking.

"I'm gonna take your word for it." He deadpanned. "So were you just born like that or puberty was a real bitch to you?" He asked standing a few feet away from the guy. He clenched his fists but didn't charge him for a change, just stood there glaring at him.

"You… think… jokes… make… you… brave?" He asked, in a weird throaty voice that reminded Peter a lot of the way the apes talked in the new Planet of the Apes movies. It amplified greatly the scary vibe.

"Yep! Now tell me what should I call you!" He continued with a happy tone. "And depending on your answer it might be Rhino or Unicorn. So?"

"SHUT… UP!"

"That'd be just confusing. Like, imagine someone asked your name and you had to answer with that. You'd seem rude." Peter joked. As an answer, a half broken desk came fly towards him. _I'm so underappreciated._ He jumped away and then got up the ceiling. "I'm just gonna stick with Rhino. You're not pretty enough for a unicorn."

He must have been really annoying if the Rhino's reaction was to start stomping like an angry five year old. Only, he was pretty sure that the earth wouldn't shake this hard if it were a five year old. He felt the ceiling start to crack and jumped down from it, which seemed to be what the Rhino was expecting. He held out his giant hands to both sides and started running towards him. Peter just barely landed and he was already three feet away from him. He realized that the Rhino wanted to crush him with his raised hands if he planned to evade either way. He had a feeling that it wouldn't exactly do good for his health.

He shot a web at his attacker's left hand before dodging to the other side. It seemed he was right, as the Rhino quickly jerked his arm back towards his own body to give him a fatal crush but by doing so, he pulled the other hand away, which caused Peter to be hauled away from danger faster than he could have reacted. The Rhino got confused for second, which gave Spider-man enough time to swing to the other side of the hall.

"Thanks for the save, dude!" He remarked, though he was shaking a bit with aftershock. He just made a serious gamble with his life, which was very unlike his usual, logical self. He started to rely too much on his spider-sense and instincts. He would have to work on that. But not now, as the Rhino turned around and faced him once again. Both were waiting for the other's move when, by some inexplicable miracle, the elevator rang out and opened up.

Lieutenant Jean DeWolff step out of it, carrying a freaking rocket launcher, which Peter had no idea what the police used for. Though, he guessed he was about to find out. She looked at him, then at the Rhino and aimed the launcher. Then she pushed a red, trigger-like button and the rocket flew free. Neither of the previous occupants of the hall had enough time to react.

From what Peter could tell, the rocket hit the Rhino right in the chest before gigantic, deafening explosion ensued and he was knocked back from his feet. He landed in a fetal position, covering his ears because they were beeping really loud. When recovered, he looked up to see Jean put the rocket-launcher down and get out her personal handgun. Then he looked at the huge smoky mist that covered the place where the Rhino once stood. They both stared at it for a few second, waiting for the smoke to settle.

A huge and deep groan suddenly arose from that direction before a big, horny silhouette stood up from behind the smoke, a couple of feet away from his previous position. Peter felt his jaw drop open, even despite the relative tightness of his mask. _That's just… no freaking way!_ He glanced at Jean who seemed just as taken aback and he could see that her legs started to tremble.

The Rhino let out furious roar, then started running towards Jean with a frightening speed. Peter saw that she couldn't move from the shock and shot a web at her, which stuck to her left upper arm and pulled her towards himself with all his strength, not caring if he accidentally dislocated her shoulder in the process. He doubted Jean cared. She caught her just as the Rhino crashed into the elevator with a huge booming sound and the building shook again. The ceiling above them collapsed and all Peter could do was shield the woman with his own body from the rubble.

Luckily, it broke into small enough pieces so it wouldn't kill them. When it stopped he shook it off of him and lifted an unconscious Jean, though he didn't know when she passed out. Every single muscle in his body was aching but he forced himself to stumble toward the exit. Outside, a line of uncountable policemen were waiting with raised machineguns. When they saw him, they aimed but he managed to speak before they could do something more.

"Calm your wounded, I'm with guns!" He shouted. _How hard did that rubble hit my head?_ They looked at him confused before realizing who exactly he was carrying. An important looking, slightly overweight black man waved him waved him closer and he was happy to comply. Two officers run to him and took Jean away from his arms and put her on a stretcher. Before the black policeman could ask anything from him, he started. "Is there anyone still in the building?" The man looked taken aback but answered anyway.

"Only the dead." He answered shaking his head. "And teenage kid, according to a girl." He added. Spider-man nodded and started walking back towards the building.

"He's all right." He lied. _I wish._ "But you guys should call your real-estate agent!" He shouted before he started running. He didn't get far, however, as the wall in front of him literally exploded and the Rhino came charging through. Peter jumped up on instinct, shot a pair of webs at his immense shoulders and decided to do the impossible. _It's only fair._

Before landing he made sure to focus on his sticking with his feet. When he did he stuck to the ground, strengthened his resolve and hardened every muscle in his body. There was a sudden incredibly strong pulling force and his back arched like a bow. But to his surprise and relief, he not only survived but managed to hold the Rhino back, though he suspected that he must have been slowing down anyway. He was about to start to haul him with when he heard guns firing. A whole lot of them. Not that they would do anything to the Rhino but Peter was behind him and the bullets would definitely hurt him. He let go of the web and jumped back through the hole, into the building, hoping that the Rhino would follow him, instead of going on another rampage.

Inside, he started to move his shoulders, like in the movies, to get some pain away from them. It didn't really work. He was thinking about doing stretches when his spider-sense signaled and he looked back just in time see the Rhino break through another wall (Oh, come on! The other already had a big hole in it). Peter started to move away but he stepped on a little rock, which rolled out from under him, causing him to lose balance. Still he managed move his body away enough so only his attacker's shoulder collided with him.

Though he had no previous experience, he was pretty sure that being hit by a truck was very much like what he just felt. Or maybe a plane. Binding pain lashed through his body and he flew back until he hit something just as hard but, presumably, it was just one of the few still standing walls. He clung into consciousness with all his might and managed to keep it, somehow. Then he started to feel the pain all throughout his body about which he wasn't sure if he should be happy about or not. He decided to take it positively.

He pushed himself up only to see the Rhino standing at the far end of the room, flailing a bit. _He's tired. But so am I!... Glass half full, Peter. Glass half full._ He stood up and finally, for the first time today, came up with a possible plan to take down this guy. By collapsing the whole building on him. From the looks of it, he wouldn't even have to work too hard to do it. _I should really check how hard I hit my head._

"Hey you! Big, grey and ugly!" He shouted, panting a bit. Yeah, it wasn't his snarkiest remark yet but he was so tired he was barely able to speak. The Rhino turned toward him and though his face seemed strained, his eyes were still blazing. Peter could barely think straight so he decided to stick with the clichés. "Is that the best you can do?"

In a heap of frustration his opponent smashed his giant fist against a column… and that was pretty much all the building could take. _Wow, that plan worked fast!_ Peter though then started running towards the exit. But a falling rubble blocked his way and he barely even sensed the other incoming attack. He dodged. Shot a web in the Rhino's face before looking for another exit. He ran into a corridor and felt more than heard the building collapsing behind him. He focused his remaining will into running and blocking the pain he felt with every single step.

He turned a corner and saw a window at the end of. It was the most beautiful window he ever saw. Okay, well it was a simple standard window but to him it seemed the most beautiful. He pushed his limits and ran even faster and just as the ceiling before the window started to collapse he jumped and crashed through it. He landed in a not-so-elegant-but-certainly-serviceable roll before laying down on the empty street, panting heavily. Somewhere in the back of his mind he suspected that the neighborhood was evacuated during the fight, hence the empty street. But that was only a secondary thought as he was just resting there, amidst the flying dust on the calmingly shaking concrete. Even though the shaking came from the collapsing building.

After the dust started to settle, Spider-man forced his already stiffening muscles to work again. It was a half success at best. He heard a weird noise and looked up to see a truck coming. The driver didn't seem to spot him, as he just stopped and got out only to reveal none-other than the Shocker. He walked towards the big rubble, still oblivious to Spider-man's presence, and shouted something that might have been 'Alex'. Peter was way too tired to understand.

He was debating whether to engage him or not when a rumbling sound started to come from the collapsed building. Peter took a deep breath and prayed to every higher being that was ever perceived that this was only an aftershock. But all of them must have been busy because the Rhino slowly emerged from under a huge red rubble and crawled his way out, apparently too tired to stand. The Shocker immediately ran towards him and tried to pull him up, though he obviously failed. If things were going at this rate, Peter would have to fight two-on-one. He did not like those odds.

But before he could decide on anything there was engine roaring sound behind him and he looked back to see a black, old-school looking car approaching, then stopping with loud screeches. Captain George Stacy emerged from it and pulled out a gun. But instead of firing he shouted.

"Don't move! Stay where you are and hands in the air!" Peter wanted to smack his forehead but to his surprise the Shocker did as was asked. They stood in that tense motionlessness for a few seconds before the Rhino suddenly pushed himself up with a roar. Captain Stacy fired by reflex but the bullet only bounced of off his skin. Then the Shocker lowered his hand and sent a blast towards the Captain. Spider-man found himself running and pushing him out of the way. His last thought, before the shockwave hit him, was; _why didn't I use my web?_

He remembered hitting something solid and feeling an intense shaking. Then, a huge crushing sound woke him up enough to open his eyes. He was a few feet away from where he last remembered, at the base of a tall building. He saw Captain Stacy, near where the two criminals had been, standing alone and looking down. Peter pushed himself up in a sitting position and nearly passed out again form the effort. Then he pushed himself up along the building, happy to have something to lean on. When he looked back, Captain Stacy was still doing the same thing but now he could also see why.

There was gigantic hole on the street, which probably led down to the sewers. He had no idea which one had done it but it certainly meant one thing; they escaped. After all the suffering it was a really, really disappointing thought. Peter let out a shaky and heavy sigh before forcing himself to start walking. He planned to approach George Stacy but was surprised to find him turning further away from him. His brain needed a few moments to catch up with everything but he eventually understood; he was ignoring him as a Captain of the NYPD so he could get away, too. It was a sort of thank you, though a very unique kind. Peter decided to accept it. He really doubted the rest of the police would offer him a chance like that anyway. They'd rather look for a scapegoat to let out their frustration on. _No, thanks._

He only managed to swing a couple of block before his arm gave out. He quickly changed in an alley and took the bus, nearly dozing off multiple times on the way home. When he got there, he initially wanted to sneak in from the window but ultimately chose to man-up. He entered and got scolded by Aunt May, then by Gwen and then Gwen got scolded by Aunt May for using the words she used. He listened through it silently and didn't bother with excuses, just waited until it was over before finally walking upstairs into his bedroom.

He was deep asleep before diner was ready. And he didn't even bring his shoes back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ahm... sorry for the wait, shit had been happening left and right with life so I hardly got around to write this one. But as I said before, I'm not gonna stop this fic. I actually have at least FIVE storylines planned ahead (for better understanding, we're hardly at the middle of the first one) so don't worry. But I sadly can't promise you that I can keep a steady pace of updating, though I will try to squeeze another one out this week. But enough of that and on with the fic.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter Eleven: Gratitude

"Are you still making up excuses?" Shouted an angry J. Jonah Jameson. "After all that happened, you're still 'not sure if it's his fault'!?"

"Well, I'm not." Answered Ben Urich calmly, making an excellent contrast to his boss. "All the reports say they were fighting each other, not working together. And hundreds of policemen saw him rescue an unconscious woman from the building. There is more behind the scenes."

"They also said that he advised them to look for a new building and now look at the place!" Mr. Jameson shouted again, refusing to make his tone even remotely conversational. "It's a big pile of rubble! And there are eleven dead, killed by the collapsing building and that giant grey thing!" A little smirk appeared on Ben Urich's face but he quickly made it disappear before speaking again.

"But not by Spider-man." He said matter-of-factly. Mr. Jameson suddenly remained silent and his head started to resemble more and more to a huge, balding tomato, with veins popping out here and there (which looks as creepy as it sounds like). But before he could let his rampage out, Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson put his hand on Mr. Jameson's shoulder.

"That's enough, Jonah!" He said firmly, with his deep voice. "Ben is clearly right and you're just letting your prejudice take a hold of you. Do you really want to discredit the newspaper over something like this?" He continued with relentless determination. Mr. Jameson started to visibly shake with fury, clenched both his fists so hard his skin turned cream white and grinded his teeth so loud that it sounded like a saw cutting through steel. It went on for nearly a minute before he finally let out a long breath, took a long drink of scotch (even though it was barely past eight a.m.) and turned toward the only other occupant of the office, without addressing the others.

"And what can I help you with, Ms. Brant?" He asked through clenched teeth, evidently still not calm enough. Betty, for her part, was so scarred that she was wondering if she should pretend that her last name wasn't Brant anymore, making the question aimless. To her shame, it took her six full seconds to realize how stupid that thought actually was. _So that's where the 'I'm sacred stupid' phrase comes from._ She took in a deep breath, glanced at the others than made a determined effort to look her boss straight in the eyes, to show her confidence. But it took less than one second to avert her gaze and start to study the suddenly very interesting morning dust on the desk. Regardless, she started to speak.

"I… I just wanted to ask what… ahm what kind of story Ned and I should work on now that Mr. Urich…" She stopped, not wanting to remind her boss any further of the previous discussion. She glanced up to see his reaction and wasn't surprised to see that his eyes were throwing lightnings left and right.

"Ned should be more experienced than to ask stupid questions like this! Why hasn't he come here, huh? Why is he hiding behind his girlfrie…"

"JONAH!" Mr. Robertson interrupted with an angry glare. Betty felt her cheeks flush and tried to make herself appear as small as possible. She wanted to make excuses for Ned but her mouth become extremely dry after the implication. She did her best to remind herself that Mr. Jameson was just agitated and she was a professional and it shouldn't matter anyway. She took a deep breath and looked up again, still feeling a little dizzy. It must have been because of this that she saw Mr. Jameson send her an apologetic look. _Great, now I'm hallucinating._

"Ms. Brant." Mr. Urich said, finally breaking the silence. "Since this whole Spider-man case is rather unprecedented and I don't want my pride to get in the way of the story." He paused and made a significant glance at Mr. Jameson, who looked ready to jump and demonstrate that people in their sixties can be formidable, too. Luckily, he still had Mr. Robertson's hand on his shoulder. "I would like to ask you and Mr. Leeds to help me out until you two find something else to work on." He continued calmly, as if not noticing the others reaction.

"S-sure, we'd be happy to." Said Betty after a few seconds of collecting herself. "I mean, I'll have to ask Ned too, but I don't think he'll object." Mr. Urich gave her a supportive smile and nodded. "With that settled, if you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave." And without waiting for any other response, she left the office, expressing her stubborn self to her boss.

After all the heavy atmosphere, Betty felt that she needed some fresh air so she headed for the balcony. It was a rather spacious thing, something one might expect in the very expensive apartment of a young, newly rich, and not on the top floor of a newspaper company. It was Mr. Jameson's obsession that if someone couldn't work a few hours out in the fresh air then the work itself would be sloppy. The fact that it was near impossible to get any fresh air in New York City, regardless of the size of the balcony, didn't really bother him. Nonetheless, Betty was happy to enjoy the mildly strong breeze that caught her hair as soon as she stepped out and the oddly calming city noises that somehow managed to fuse into something almost symphonic.

 _Ned's gonna be thrilled for sure._ She thought as she leaned forward and sipped from her coffee, watching the morning traffic. _But why am I not?_ She was already expecting an interview with Spider-man, which would greatly improve their investigation, not to mention her career. This opportunity would only enhance that. But despite all that, she felt that she didn't want to find out much more about him. Maybe because she felt like investigating behind his back would be some kind of betrayal. Or maybe because she didn't want to choose between her job and her contract with him. But her inner self told her that it was all just excuses.

In that moment, she realized that deep down she didn't want anything revealed. Because she liked the mystery surrounding him. She liked that there was someone who came only to her for help, who brought her intriguing and dangerous documents, who didn't enter her home the conventional way and who was so secretive about himself. Yeah, it was stupid but if it turned out that he also was handsome and had a troubled past, he would basically become the male-sex-symbol fully realized. She would much rather keep that, than uncover some truth that could ruin the illusion.

Betty felt shame clutch her stomach at this realization. Leaning against the railing, she let out a deep and sorrowful sigh before muttering; "What a terrible journalist I am."

"Well, it's already working hours and you're just standing on a balcony talking to yourself, so…" Came a familiar muffled male voice from below her and Betty nearly jumped out of her skin and the balcony, though if she actually did, her visitor could have easily caught her. Her coffee was not so lucky, though as it was thrown up before starting its long descend to better examine the proprieties of a New York sidewalk. At least it's what should have happened but it was quickly caught by a string of web. Or rather, the cup was, while its content continued to fall, landing with a loud splat on a huge glass that usually just protected people from the rain. They watched in silence for a second before the newcomer spoke. "Someone's gonna think that a pigeon is having the worst case of diarrhea."

"Spider-man! What the hell are you doing here!?" Betty asked frantically in a low whisper.

"Saving you from caffeine addiction, it seems." He answered jovially and climbed up enough to see if anyone was on the balcony besides Betty. When he saw that the air was clean he offered the empty cup back to her. She accepted it with a confused look on her face. She kept staring at him but he didn't seem to want to start explaining himself so she just looked around instead, making sure that no-one was listening before turning back to him.

"It was decaf, actually."

"Tch. Then why bother." He said half disapprovingly, half-jokingly. "And here I thought you were a woman of culture." That one was full on tease.

"Hey, I'm not the one who swings around scaring people who just want to enjoy their morning coffee." Betty retorted playfully. Spider-man let out a skeptical snort when she said 'enjoy' but otherwise stayed uncharacteristically silent for seconds, which made Betty think that something was wrong. Though, if she recapped what she'd heard about what happened yesterday at the police station, she was straight surprised to find him being able to move. Even so, she learned, thanks to her profession, that sometimes the most obvious questions can be the most rewarding. "Is ah… is something wrong?"

She received further silence but could see the change in his body language so she urged herself to be patient. Finally, after nearly half a minute of silence, he lifted his head and asked in a low and vulnerable voice.

"How many died yesterday?" He sounded very, very young when he spoke like that and Betty had to wonder how old could he be. _Probably around collage age._ It also surprised her that it was this that interested him, and not who they were gonna blame it on. Though, if previous cases were to be taken as examples, than it was quite obvious. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she answered truthfully, telling him about the eleven victims and the few others who were in critical conditions in the hospital. After a brief hesitation, she also told him about the still unofficial parts, like how the police thought that the whole attack was just a message from a new kind of gang. He listened to it without interruption and remained silent after she finished, visibly processing all he had heard. Then, he looked back at Betty and hesitated for a moment before talking. "So… I guess this means, you get your interview now."

Betty blinked in surprise. It hadn't even occurred to her that this was exactly what they'd agreed upon when she started telling him everything. This brought up her previous dilemma. She was still undecided how to continue. The fact that he just offered it to her made it even worse, somehow. She kept thinking about it silently for seconds before letting out a sharp exhale and smiling at him.

"Nah. You gave me some pretty hardcore intel the other day so this just makes us even." She said. Spider-man tilted his head a bit as if reevaluating her in a new light.

"As you wish." He said with a shrug, still a bit surprised but also obviously relieved. He stared at her for a few moments before shifting his body to get ready to leave. "Well, then I'll be…"

"Wait!" She said quickly. "I ah… I know you didn't ask but you must be wondering and I just wanted you to know that the answer is no, you're not the one they blame this time. I actually heard that some policemen are calling you a hero." _Much to my boss's disdain._ She added mentally. "And so do I."

Spider-man's body went completely, and a little eerily, still after the word 'hero'. Though she couldn't see because of the mask, his face must have been shocked as well. Betty started to worry that she might have said something wrong when he finally spoke up, albeit in a very low voice.

"This… this is the first time I've been called that. A hero." He said, then his tone turned a bit more nervous. "I mean, by someone else. B-but I mean it's not like I call myself that all the time it's just I mean ah… "He took a deep breath before continuing. "I meant to say thank you. And even though it's not why I do it, it still means a lot. So… thank you!"

"You're very welcome." Betty replied and sent a warm smile at him. _Saving a bunch of people and defeating a monster and he's the one who says thank you. It's just so… him_.

"Okay, then… See you around." He said happily and made smiley face with his hand again before letting go of the building and swinging away. She watched him, bemused for a couple of seconds before turning on her heels to go back inside. Instead, she froze in place as she saw Ben Urich stepping out on the balcony, looking at her in an unreadable expression. Then, he continued his walk, without a word and got a pack of smokes out of his pocket along with a lighter. He started to lift one to his lips before stopping and glancing back at Betty.

"Do you mind?" He asked, shaking the cigarette in his hand a bit. Betty was still pretty much in a nervous shock but she managed to regain her self-control and swallowed before answering.

"No, ah… go ahead." She said with as much casualty as she could master. "I'm done here anyway." She continued and shook the empty cup in her hand to show what she meant. Mr. Urich nodded and lit the smoke, taking a huge breath along with it. Just as Betty was starting to go inside, however, Mr. Urich reached out and put his hand on the empty cup, stopping her on her track. She felt a little tug from the cup before Ben Urich pulled his hand away, revealing sticky, white and web-like thing that was previously stuck to the object in her hand. Her heart froze, her vision became dizzy, her mouth dry and she felt a cold shiver go down her spine before pure panic seized her, making her unable to do anything. She just started at her colleague in alarm, waiting for accusing questions or maybe something even worse.

"Hmh." Was the only thing that left his mouth beside a cloud of smoke. He felt the fluid substance between his fingers before flicking it over the railing, down to the busy street. Then he looked up, took another long drag from his smoke and appeared to be studying the empty sky intently. Betty was still standing there, waiting for him to start talking but he just stood there looking up, deep in thought, though she could see a very small smile on his face. She stayed there for a whole minute, which felt like hours for her before realizing that she was going to be ignored no matter how long she waited. Whatever Ben Urich saw or suspected, this wasn't the time he was going to confront her about it. No, he would probably choose the time for himself, when he really had all the right cards. She couldn't even take the initiative here because she could only come out of it badly. And he knew it all too well. Amidst the panic, a hint of jealousy flashed through her at how good a journalist he really was. With a raging heart and an equally raging mindset, she resumed her walk to get back inside, still half-hoping half-dreading that Mr. Urich would speak up at any moment behind her.

But he didn't. After stepping in and closing the door behind her, she let out a broken exhale she didn't even know she'd kept in. _This is gonna drive me mad._

* * *

"Prof Warren's gonna be so mad." Said Harry cheerfully as he walked next to Peter, who just got to school a few minutes ago, completely missing biology class.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy about it." Peter replied dryly. After his meeting with Betty he seriously debated whether to even show up at school or not. His still aching body made a solid compelling argument for the latter and after what his journalist friend told him, he was interested to find out if those cops who thought of if him as a hero (still an indescribably warm feeling) would help him figure out who sent that Rhino guy. Since he was with the Shocker, Peter suspected that he was one of those four he'd caught just before the start of school. Sadly, he didn't know their names, only the one who self-identified as Montana and he really doubted that it would say the same thing on his ID card. At least, he hoped it didn't. Parents naming their child like that… the world can only take so much cruelty.

"Of course!" Continued Harry in his unchanged mood, bringing back Peter from his terrifying thoughts. "This is the first time you've done something like this and I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it." He said, filling the role of the supportive friend and making Peter wish again that he never came in the first place. But he already left home in the morning so he had to go somewhere and it might as well be this place. Besides, after his borderline insane act of running back for his shoes (not really what happened but that can be also considered insane), Peter suspected that Aunt May would keep closer tabs on him.

"Yeah, speaking of which, where were you?" Asked the possible personification of the closer tabs in the form Gwen Stacy, which only reinforced his suspicion. Her tone irritated Peter and for more than one reason. He understood that his reckless actions worried her but he did save her life and she still not only told his Aunt that he ran back, she also apparently spied on him for her. It left a bitter taste in his mouth and he felt the urge to share it.

"In the bathroom." He said simply while looking straight into her eyes. After a moment of confusion he saw recognition for what he was referring to and along with it came something that surprised him as much as it made him feel bad. Hurt. She quickly hid it but for some reason it had obviously hurt her.

"What, for like an hour?" Asked Harry a little skeptically, oblivious to the silent conversation of the other two. Gwen narrowed her eyes angrily and stepped a bit away from them but didn't leave, which pretty much confirmed Peter's suspicion. He felt like an asshole, though he wasn't really sure why, despite feeling that it was something obvious. But he was never really good at dealing with normal problems. Regardless, he decided to just confront the problem head on and ask Gwen what made her angry. But not now, rather sometime they were alone.

"Yup." He answered Harry and gave him a 'please don't ask more about it' look they usually used between each other, which he thankfully understood immediately. He was musing over if he would have a chance to talk to Gwen at school when his Spider-sense suddenly tingled weakly and he turned around just in time to catch an airborne Liz Allen who let out a cheerful squeak that promised a great future in her cheerleading activities. She wrapped her arms around him in a near choking squeeze and kept repeating 'thank you' for at least half a minute before Peter got back his brain functions enough to react consciously.

"Hi ah Liz. I… guess ah… you're welcome… for whatever it is…" He said awkwardly, which had very little to do with his lack of access for air and more with his overall confusion (and the fact that certain very soft parts of Liz were being tightly pressed against him but he would refuse to openly admit that). She finally let go of his neck and stepped back a bit, smiling at him with sparkling eyes. She giggled a little before she started to talk.

"Sorry to surprise you like that. I know you're not really big on this whole huggy-touchy thing, Petey." She said bemused, her minor Spanish accent giving a melodic little ring to her words. _Wha… why would you think!? Is that what people think of me?_ "But I couldn't help it I was just sooo happy!" She all but squeaked again, putting a hand on the side of his right shoulder. She must have wanted to say more but stopped before a sound could leave her slightly open mouth and blinked before looking at where her hand was resting. She gave it a disbelieving squeeze, then another for reassurance, not exactly helping with easing up Peter's awkwardness. He felt more than saw the furious glare Gwen sent their way and decided to clear things up before it escalated to petty, underhanded insults.

"Ahm… so, what exactly are you so thankful for?" He asked trying to catch her eyes that were still glued to his shoulder. To make things worse, he saw the approaching pair of Flash and Kong, though luckily they couldn't have seen the situation clearly from their angle.

"Wow…" Liz breathed out and judging by her quick blushing, she hadn't meant to show her appreciation so openly. She hurriedly jerked her hand away while her brain seemed to register the question that was asked. "Well… hmh I meant the biology test, obviously." She said, collecting herself. "Which, by the way, why did you miss?"

"Ooh, I'm sure he just meant to teach Prof Warren the same kind of encouragement he teaches you by missing out a few lessons." Said Flash, who just arrived next to his girlfriend, with heavy sarcasm. By reply, Liz shot him an angry scowl and he lifted his hands apologetically but it didn't really look genuine. That, however, was the least of Peter's worries.

"We had a test in biology!?" He asked Harry incredulously, turning to him. But instead of seeing his friend, he was faced with the back of an Osberry. It clicked, eternalizing Peter's incredulous face for, well… an eternity.

"Yes!" Shouted Harry triumphantly. "I have the only picture of your 'just-found-out-I-missed-my-test-for-the-first-time-ever' face!" He continued, raising his phone as a trophy and making the role of moral-support-in-tough-situations flawlessly complete.

"When were you going to tell me!?"

"Well, I was about to bring it up when this whole thing happened." He gestured around himself before a huge grin spread across his face. "But man, I'm really glad I didn't because, honestly… this picture is priceless!" Then, he showed his friend said picture with immense pride, at which Peter refused to look, out of pure spite and a bit of fear. He turned back to Liz who still had a curious expression on her face.

"So, where were you, Petey?" She asked with genuine interest, apparently not keen on giving up. He glanced at Gwen for a faint hope of help, but she just sent him a smug look, as if daring him to reveal where (she thought) he had been to all the public. Even though that didn't help, he still got an inspiration from her.

"Well… ah you know, yesterday Gwen went to see her dad at work and asked me to escort him." He started and a felt an immense satisfaction when Gwen narrowed her eyes and sent him a look that basically said 'you little piece of shit'. "We were there, at the police headquarters when the attack happened." It took a moment for Liz to remember what was all over the news. When she did, her eyes vastly widened, making a fitting contrast against her light brown skin. She gasped, then put her hand in front of her mouth while sucking in a shaky breath.

"Oh Dios mío!" She breathed out, reverting to her original language for a second. "Oh God, Petey, are you hurt!? Are you two alright!?" She asked with sincere concern. It honestly surprised him. He seriously did not expect to get this much of a reaction. _Which just goes to show that I shouldn't be prejudiced. Just because she's popular she can be nice. In fact, she's been nothing but that to me._

"Relax, we're fine. It was…" He didn't get to finish it because suddenly his arm was strongly gripped by a pair of slightly bigger ones and he was turned to face Flash Thompson. He had an oddly excited face, like a little boy who was traveling to Disneyland for the first time.

"Did you see him!?" He asked with an uncharacteristic eagerness, completely letting go of his previous 'cool-guy' attitude. "Spider-man! Did you see him!? Was he really there!?" His voice was getting high pitched and his grip stronger as if his whole life depended on the answer. He acted exactly like… a fanboy.

"Yeah, I heard that he was one of the attackers." Said Kong from behind him. Considering that Betty had just recently told Peter that he was not the one who was blamed for that, he had to wonder from which source did Kong get his news from. Oddly enough, though he didn't have to defend himself.

"That's bullshit!" Flash all but snarled at his friend. "A huge load of bullshit! He was there to stop that monster!" He said with such confidence one would think that he was there, too. Beside him, his girlfriend rolled her eyes, her annoyance evident on her face.

"He's just a mutant." She said flatly and her obvious dismissal had stung Peter more than he expected. "Why would a mutant care about humans?" She asked. Of the people gathered around there, Peter had a feeling that he was only the second most hurt.

"How can you say that!?" Flash shouted in exasperation. It started to gather an audience. "First of all, you don't know he's a mutant for sure. But even if he is, there are lots of people that say they were saved by him. And they were all simple humans! He clearly does what he does because he's a hero!" He continued and from the way he spoke it seemed like they had had this kind of fight before this one. Which was… unexpected. _Of all the changes I thought Spider-man could bring, this certainly wasn't what I thought would happen._

"Yeeeah, you're fan-forums are definitely reliable sources." Liz answered with heavy sarcasm. The two of them were now facing each other and the heat between them wasn't something one would call romantic.

"They're better than…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Cut in Gwen's commanding voice that left no doubt who exactly her dad was. Everyone looked at her surprised. It seemed to annoy her even more. "Fuck, you two are so irritating, I just couldn't listen to it anymore. So, in hopes stopping the two of you from ever doing this again in front of me, let me tell you something; Me and Peter WERE saved by Spider-man." She paused enough to let that sink in. Everyone stared in shocked silence, while Flash shot his girlfriend an 'I told you so' look. "We were running down for the emergency exit when the stairs collapsed beneath us. It would have been at least a two stories fall but we were caught mid-air by his web. We didn't really see him because he had to move on somewhere else but… I'd bet a hundred that it wasn't to take a nap." She said her voice getting softer, and it might have had a hint of gratitude in it. Silence ensued and everyone looked at her, and sometimes at Peter, with awe, even though neither of them did anything in that story (okay, well technically… ah whatever). They reverie was interrupted by Flash who quickly rushed toward Gwen, taking hold of her hands, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"You have Spider-man's web!?" He asked, his normally deep voice getting high pitched again and it sounded like the mixture of a five year old getting ready for Christmas and a lustful pervert starting his kinky night. It was a disturbingly odd cocktail. Gwen's surprise quickly turned to annoyance and she jerked her hand away from his and even pushed him back a little with a shove.

"Calm down, you creep! It completely dissolved in a few hours." She said and imitated cleaning her hands, probably trying to humiliate Flash even more. Not that it got through to him.

"Of course!" He said mostly to himself, the way others say 'eureka'. "Of course it did! Otherwise the criminals could trace it back to him. That's genius." He exclaimed. _Well, more like a happy coincidence but… thank you, I guess._

"Or the police could." Said Liz, still not sounding like she was fully convinced. Luckily before they could continue they fight where they left off, the bell rung and people started heading for class. Peter got a glimpse of Gwen looking his way before she abruptly turned around and started to walk. He decided to at least apologize to her, though still not exactly sure for what. He squeezed through the crowed and marched in step behind her.

"Hey, Gwen wait a m…" She cut him off, while still showing her back to her.

"Don't come home late!" She said coldly, without any hint of emotion. "I'm getting tired of lying to your Aunt. She's a good person. It's not what she deserves." And with that she hurried up her pace, leaving a stunned Peter behind. _So that was her problem…_ He stood there until mostly everyone else had entered their respective classroom before finally starting to move again, feeling something he didn't expect; disappointment.

* * *

"I'm disappointed." Said the Woman flatly, instead of a greeting, as soon as she stepped into the room. They were hiding in a remote location, in an apartment that only had a living room and a bathroom, neither of them really big. They came here as soon as they got out of the sewers, after they found a hole big enough for O'Hirn to get through. When they got in, they reeked of various unspeakable things so they decided to hit the shower. Only, O'Hirn was not only really tired but he also had trouble with reaching certain spots on his back. In the end, he had needed Schultz's help. It had been… awkward.

Ever since then, they've been waiting in place, trying to get some sleep and figure out their next move. They knew that they (well, mostly O'Hirn) had screwed up. And they expected their boss to point it out to them, when she got around to visit. So, ironically enough, they weren't disappointed.

"Not angry just disappointed, eh?" Schultz asked. He had been preparing for this joke for hours. They had very little to do, so he had to kill time. Their boss wasn't amused, though he suspected that she was physically incapable of being amused unless someone was mortally suffering. She looked at him blankly before speaking.

"I'm also angry." She said in the same flat tone. Then she turned towards O'Hirn "Through all the trouble you've caused, at least tell me you've also made some progress. Otherwise I'll be very angry. And you won't like it.

The old O'Hirn would have grit his teeth and might even have mumbled something foul under his breath. But he had changed. He had become more… initiative. Or he was just still very exhausted and decided to silence the thing that bothered him, like one might his alarm clock in the morning. He rose up challengingly, all nine feet of his muscular might and Schultz had to give credit to their boss for not flinching the slightest.

That thing was the wrong move, however as it angered O'Hirn even more. He lowered his head and suddenly lurched forward, faster than one might expect from someone his size. The Woman was expecting it. She darted to the side, faster than a blink of an eye. When O'Hirn adjusted his course, however, she didn't dodge again and instead rolled on the ground, slenderly going through between his legs before emerging on the other side. She stood up without missing a beat and pushed something on her watch. Meanwhile, Schultz did everything to get his gauntlets in working condition. He just strapped on the right one when he felt the building shake, as if a huge bomb was just dropped on it. He turned around and felt his eyes widen.

O'Hirn lay on his back, motionless and emitting a desperate panting noise. Their boss stood exactly where he had last seen her, sporting a smug expression and arms folded. Not letting confusion take a hold of him, Schultz quickly raised his right arm, pointing the gauntlet right at the woman.

"What did you do to him!?" He demanded, gaining her attention. She almost seemed surprised at his daringness but she quickly smoothed her face and sent him a cold smile.

"I thought you had more sense than that." She purred and somehow managed to make that cold, too.

"Sorry to disappoint. Now, tell me what you did!" He ordered relentlessly. She cocked an eyebrow and studied him for a second before answering.

"I stopped the nano-bots that help his body move the armor. Without them, his muscles can't carry its weight, including his respiratory muscles. He's suffocating as we speak." She said in a conversational tone, as if they were just discussing the weather. He stared at her in a horrified expression for a second before shouting from the top of his lungs.

"TURN THEM BACK ON! NOW!"

"No." She said simply and the left corner of her moth twitched in amusement. Schultz readjusted his aim so that his gauntlet was now pointing right at her head.

"I said…" He said through clenched teeth. "Turn them on."

"No." She repeated and spread her arms invitingly, her smirk growing wider. She knew she had him. If Schultz fired, not only could he break her watch but even if he didn't he had no idea how to turn them back on, thus dooming his last friend to a painfully slow death. When she saw that he understood this, she tilted her head to one side and looked at him expectantly. It took him ten seconds to realize what she wanted. He entertained the idea of just killing all three of them right on the spot before swallowing his pride.

"Please." He snarled out and his hatred nearly burned through his stomach. Her smirk turned into a triumphant smile and she looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"No." She said again, then seeing his shock she added. "Not yet, anyway. Not until I've left this building. So I suggest you stop wasting all of our times and just tell me what I want to know so I can be on my way."

"What do you want to know?" Schultz asked in exasperation. She shot him an annoyed glance.

"As I said." She started, agonizingly slow, while he could hear gurgling sounds coming from O'Hirn in the background. "I want to know whether your friend made any progress yesterday or was all that just a waste of effort and surprise." Schultz tried to think as fast as he cold but his friend's suffering was too much of a distraction.

"I… I don't know." He said, stuttering a bit. "I was barely there… O'Hirn… he said that ahm… he said that Spider-man got there really fast and… he sounded young…"

"Nothing we haven't heard before." She interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Schultz let out growl and tried to get back on his thoughts.

"He also said that… that he froze up when he saw a corps. And that he went out of his way to save others, even the police. I saw that too myself. He saved Captain Stacy." He said desperately trying to give her something she might like. Apparently he did, as her expression became thoughtful.

"Interesting." She mused, lifting a finger to her mouth and tapping it a few times. Then her eyes got a menacing gleam and her mouth twitched in a grotesque smile for a moment. "You two will stay in the house until I say otherwise. When I call you be ready!" Then, without any other word, she started for the door stepping over the still laying O'Hirn. His face, by now, was twitching and Schultz realized that if his muscles could make it, his whole body would be shaking. He quickly rushed over to him, when he heard the door slamming shut.

For at least ten more seconds, nothing changed. Then, his friend suddenly sat straight up and took in a really deep breath. He panted there for a few seconds before his hands turned into fists so hard they popped and he let out a huge growl, turning for the closed door. But before he could even stand up, Schultz ran in front of him and planted his feet firmly.

"Alex, stop!" When that didn't seem to work, he lifted his gauntlet. "Stop! She would just do the same thing again. Don't make me shoot you!" His last sentence seemed to get through to him as he looked down at him, with all his furry. His body was shaking with uncontrolled rage. They stood there for half a minute before O'Hirn let out a furious snarl, whipped around and jumped at the opposite wall, slamming his fists against it, which in turn collapsed. Now, they had one room in the whole house.

"Cука" He growled, still panting with anger. Letting out a shaky breath, Schultz leaned against the door

"Yeah." He said "I hate that bitch, too." His friend slowly turned around and opened his mouth.

"But... worth… it…" He said in a rasped voice. Schultz smirked at him.

"Yeah. At least now we know the ace up her sleeve. And we're gonna show our gratitude for revealing it the next time we see her."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter Twelwe: Setting Up

Having a nice meal at school was actually way harder than one might think. There was a place called the cafeteria but despite its name it primarily served as a socializing space rather than a dining one. And Gwen Stacy didn't have enough tolerance in her for that. So she usually took the other route, and ate her lunch sitting on a bench in the school yard. The problem was that most of the weirdos also avoided the cafeteria and chose the other options which led to multiple disturbed meals. _The fact that this makes me one of those weirdos is just the tip of the iceberg._

The funny thing was that even though it was really minor a problem it still bothered her every single day, appearing bigger and bigger each time and driving her crazy. So in the grand scheme of things, she felt that she should be happy that now, it bothered her less since there were much bigger problems in her life. Nothing much, just the life threatening kind. Even though she kept up her annoyed and violent façade, the recent attack had shaken her up more than she let on to anyone. And on top of things, her crush had done that stupidly suicidal stunt of his as if her being worried about her dad wasn't enough already. At least that's what she hoped she was angry about. But a big, self-loathing part of herself told her that it was a more selfish reason: He had left her alone there.

Granted, she hadn't really needed a big supportive hug but after surviving that, he had just bailed on her, which had stung. Combining that with where he had been on the next morning instead of class made her mood darker than even she was comfortable with. Fortunately, things weren't all bad. Apparently taking her words to heart, Peter had gone directly home yesterday. This allowed Gwen to participate in something she hadn't been to in god knows how long, if ever; a family dinner.

Given the quarrel they'd had the day before, the dinner had started out a bit awkward but it had dissolved relatively quickly. May Parker had personally prepared a very well-made chicken steak with steamed tomatoes and other mixture of vegetables. It had been one of her specialties and she had worked on it all afternoon. Judging by the tons of deep-frozen food Gwen had accidently seen in the freezer, this kind of meal wasn't really an everyday thing for them and May had probably made it just for her sake. It had been unnecessary but she didn't want to damage her pride so she endured the truly delicious meal. _A real self-sacrifice._

As the tension eased, they had slowly started talking and they were kind enough to try to include her in the conversation, too. What really surprised her was that even after the dinner was over they had stayed there, continuing the discussion. It had been then that May Parker had started telling some stories about Peter when he was younger. Like his own little theory about Santa Claus. Apparently when he was seven years old he had been visited by him whom, being as smart as he was even back then, he had clearly recognized as his Uncle Ben. But the thought that Santa Claus might not be real hadn't even crossed his mind so he came to the logical conclusion that his Uncle had a secret identity as the man who flew around the world once a year, giving out presents to all the kids. It had been one of the sweetest things she had ever heard.

When she had asked when exactly he had found out the truth, he told her with a cute blush ( _damn it_ ) on his face that he had been ten when he got mad at his Uncle for never showing him his flying sleigh. But as soon as he had verbally confronted him about it, something had clicked in his brain and he realized that a flying sleigh was physically impossible. His face had flushed even harder when he also told her that the very first ten page letter he had ever written was actually a request for his Uncle to let him become one of his little helpers. He had worked months on it.

For the first time in years, Gwen had felt herself let out a warm and joyful laugh, without any of the usual dryness or sarcasm behind it. It had been a really uplifting experience. Even more surprisingly, when she had gotten ready to sleep in the guest room, she hadn't felt the urge to cry, as it had happened every day since her stay there.

The crying part came the next morning, after she had woke up from a dream where it was she and her dad who had that kind of dinner, along with a woman whose face she couldn't remember but it was definitely not her real mother. Her turmoiling emotions had made the early parts of the day rather hard. So having a nice meal alone sounded like something that might ease her feelings. Unfortunately, the universe either had other plans or is just generally a dick, because after one tiny little bite from her sandwich she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"If I scare a daughter of a cop, what happens to me?" Asked jovially the feminine voice of Mary Jane, and despite the tone (or maybe because of it) Gwen felt her fists clench. But she decided to rein it in for a bit and tried to hide her building anger. She failed completely.

"You really don't wanna find out." She growled and didn't turn around. "Besides, I heard your footsteps." There was long pause, as MJ was trying to figure out if she was just her usual self or more agitated for some reason. Whatever conclusion she came to, she came to it rather quickly.

"Yeah, I guess I better not find out." She said hesitantly before her voice perked up again adding a little tease to it. "I mean you scarred poor Harry the other day so much that he barely even said a word after you left and stayed at least three feet away from…"

"What do you want, Watson?" Gwen interrupted with heavy irritation, rapidly turning around to face her. To her surprise, MJ's eye twitched after hearing her last name, as if it meant something despicable to her. They faced each other for a few seconds before MJ decided to break the silence.

"Now, I want to find out why you're angry with me." She said carefully, as if fearing another outburst, which might not have been a wrong assumption. Gwen narrowed her eyes and stood up from the bench to be face to face with her, only to realize that MJ was around a head taller.

"So you're really gonna play dumb with me?" She asked in a low voice, not even trying to hide her anger anymore (not that she really tried before). Her face didn't change at all, apart from raising a delicate red eyebrow that looked like it was artificially made perfect but Gwen jealously suspected that it wasn't. "I'm talking about you and Peter." That got a reaction, albeit more of confused than guilty one.

"What's there to talk about? We fooled around, it's over, now you should go for it." She said like it was the most obvious thing. "It's why I came here, actually. To ask if you made any progress."

"Real funny, you know. I can almost believe you. Or is this your fetish, huh? Having a fuck-toy isn't enough, he has to be a cheating fuck-toy to make it more exciting?" Gwen snarled, doing her best to keep her voice down. She did not want to make a scene. Both of MJ's eyebrows shot up at the accusations but surprisingly there wasn't any hurt showing on her face, only complete confusion. It was so convincing that Gwen had to give her credit for it. "Peter told me where he was instead of biology." She said flatly. Mary Jane still stayed confused for a bit before realization hit her. Her eyes flashed angrily for a brief moment before her expression became guarded.

"So Peter… told you that." She asked carefully, musing over the words. She appeared frustrated for a second before letting out a sigh and shaking her head, her red hair dangling from side to side. "We ah… it was a last time thing. Just that. I told him it was fun but it's over and we sort of… made a last memory of it, you know. But that's it, I promise. No more… fooling around." She explained a bit more hesitantly than her usual self, but Gwen supposed that there were awkward subjects even for Mary Jane. Then, she flashed her a supportive smile. "So now, you really should go for it."

Either she was an exceptionally good liar (and evil person) or she was really trying to help her. Gwen studied her bright smile and kind eyes and decided to go with the more optimistic view for a change. Besides, if it turned out she was wrong, she already had a few ideas how to make her life a living hell.

"Alright, I believe you." She said, then added reluctantly. "So I guess I'm sorry for what I said." MJ just rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "But you better keep your promise."

"You wanna pinky swear?" She asked, her teasing tone returning.

"No." She said, annoyed. Then, MJ opened her mouth to speak again, and Gwen had a pretty good idea what she wanted to say. "And I'll promise to make a move if you stop asking me to." She grumbled and received a teasing smile in response. "But definitely not until we live under the same roof. It could really complicate things, which I'd rather avoid."

"Wait you're living with the Parkers?" MJ asked surprised, while both of them sat down on them bench.

"Yeah, for a few days now, until my dad can get home from work." It reminded her of something she'd rather not think about so she quickly moved on with the subject at hand. "Peter didn't mention it?"

"No, we've barely talked lately." She said with a shrug, then her cheek turned a bit pink as she realized what she just said. Gwen gave her a flat look, then asked;

"Ah, so he's that kind of guy" She said, unsure how to feel about it.

"No, it was because of me." MJ said matter-of-factly. "He's not… I mean, he's a really nice guy, you know. Not the pushy type." Then she glanced at Gwen, and looked straight in her eyes. "So you shouldn't feel any pressure."

"I wouldn't have anyway." She replied, rolling her eyes but could feel that some mental weight was lifted off of her. MJ giggled.

"I'm just trying to be nice here." She said, her smile never fading.

"And I'll never understand why." Gwen mumbled, causing MJ to let out another burst of laughter. Before she knew, an honest smile appeared on her own face, too. She glanced at the bag which contained her food and made a decision. _Since I'm feeling this adventurous, how about I try what it's like to be friendly._ She felt really skeptical about herself. "Listen, ahm… May made a few more of these than I can eat." She said, raising up the bag and getting one of its contents out, holding out to MJ. "So, how about we share a sandwich?"

She studied Gwen for a second, clearly surprised then took the sandwich with a thankful nod. She took a bite out of it and hummed appreciatively. Gwen followed suit, while a familiar teasing gleam appeared in Mary Jane's eyes. She faced Gwen with a playful smirk before talking.

"I bet Peter would love to hear about us sharing a sandwich." She said, barely holding in her laughter, while Gwen nearly chocked on her food. _I have a feeling that I'll be hearing these kinds of jokes from now on. Hurray for me and my stupid friendliness._

* * *

 _The biggest Hurray for easily pickable locks._ Thought Schultz as he entered the apartment. He stepped into a rather spacious room that was an odd combination of a living room, a study room and a kitchen. This room alone was bigger than the place he and O'Hirn resided at the moment.

Getting out of their residence was actually the hardest part of their operation. After they decided who to contact for help, they had to make sure that their boss wouldn't find out about anything. Shaking a possible tail wouldn't be problem unless she employed some enhanced individuals other than them but it would be even better if she didn't even know about him leaving in the first place.

Schultz made sure that no tracking device was attached to him, and his checking included his recently operated leg. He wouldn't put it past their boss to take that opportunity to tag him. It was an extremely painful procedure, during which he not only checked with his fingers but also sent some light shockwaves with his gauntlet, in hopes of destroying any piece of technology too little to feel through skin. After they were done and Schultz stopped his relieved panting, O'Hirn dug out the floor of the ground floor apartment, with his huge hands and horn, just beneath the sink so Schultz could get down to the sewers. It probably wasn't the healthiest thing to do, considering his leg, but this way he could leave undetected and he would burn the other bridge when or if he had to. He emerged a few block away and was really grateful for the light rain that started falling.

So he arrived at the targeted apartment, all wet, smelly and limpy and not giving a single fuck about it. He made a quick assessment of other rooms to see if the place was empty. It wasn't, as he found a woman with red hair around her late thirties and a little boy who couldn't have been older than ten, in the bedroom. Fortunately, they were both deep asleep so Schutz closed the bedroom door to lessen the chance of them waking up. He then made sure to quietly search around the house.

Something in the back of his mind warned him something wasn't right from the begging but it took him ten full minutes to figure out what it was. There weren't any family pictures, which given how close they seemed to be, was rather odd. He quickly found out why was that the case as he saw two huge suitcases, both of them filled with various useless staff that probably had sentimental value and a few clothes. _Not the usual things a family would bring to trip… than again maybe it is. I have no clue._

After making sure everything was ready, he settled in a sofa which resided in a corner, twelve feet to the right from the entrance. But he had to wait almost an hour and a half for the owner of the apartment to come home, during which he pretty much got so bored that he started to read the closest book he found, which he rapidly got bored of and decided to change it to one of the comics of the kid. It was much better. When the father came home, he didn't even glance around, just closed the door and went straight for the bedroom. He only opened the door just enough to peer in before letting out an audible relieved sigh and quietly closing it.

Schultz got ready for his surprise reveal but to his disappointment, the man didn't turn towards him and instead went to the bathroom, in which he spent at least ten minutes. Right before he emerged, there was the spraying sound of an air freshener, causing Schultz to grimace and fidget in his place. He really needed to use the bathroom, too but it would have to wait until later. He got ready again, trying to sit in a casual manner that'd make him look like that everything was under his control.

But unfortunately, the man still didn't notice him as he reentered the living room and went straight for his desk. He sat down, pulled out the drawer and got some kind of high-tech injecting device out from it, before closing it again. He put it on the desk while he pulled up the right sleeves of his shirt all the way to his shoulder then took the injection up again and positioned it right above the end of his stump. It was at this moment that Schultz decided he had waited enough.

"I had no idea you would need a fix this much, prof." He said in a casual tone, as if they've been talking for hours now. Professor Curt Connors literally yelped in surprise and threw the injection out of his hand, which flew up and landed on the couch beside the desk, the needle piercing the cheap fabric, standing upside down. Schultz watched the thing with amused disinterest, then turned back towards the professor. "I didn't take you for an addict."

"What are you doing here!?" He demanded in a frantic whisper, probably trying to avoid waking up his family. "I've done everything you people asked from me."

"It seems you've been planning something reckless." Answered Schultz and held up three airplane tickets. "Though, if it were me, I'd probably pick some place better than Miami." The professor paled as he stared at the tickets. It took him half a minute to collect himself.

"It's not what you think. We just…"

"Oh come on. Don't give me that bullshit." Schultz said a little agitated. "It's exactly what I think. But it's not why I'm here." He continued. The last sentence seemed to perk the professors interest, while he slowly got hold of a few notes and opened another drawer, slowly putting the notes in while his eyes remained on Schultz. "If you're looking for your gun, you can find it in my pocket." He said with a little smirk.

Connors froze and despite it hardly being possible, he got even paler. He got his hand out from the drawer and looked around the room one last time for some kind of escape. Schultz had made sure he wouldn't find any. His shoulders sunk in defeat and his legs shook for a second before he looked up pleadingly at Schultz.

"Please… please don't hurt my family" He begged, letting go of all his pride. "Please… I… I'll do anything just… just don't hurt them."

"I had no intention to hurt them." Schultz said with a shrug, then his tone hardened just a little bit. "But you almost did." He said and lifted up the tickets again. "Do you think that bitch wouldn't have found you? What do you think she'd have done to your family then?" Connors' shocked expression quickly turned to a guilty one as he all but fell down to a chair and let out a desperate sigh.

"I just wanted to get them away from here. From her." He mumbled, mostly to himself.

"Which is why I'm actually here." Schultz said "I want to kill that bitch. And I'd like your help to do it." Connors looked up at him and his face showed heavy skepticism. In response Schultz just shrugged and continued. "Look man, I have no beef with you. What I have with you is a common enemy, so I figured we could help each other." The professor still didn't look fully convinced but studied Schultz for a few seconds before slowly nodding.

"Alright, let's say I help you. What do you need? Do you want me to make some kind of sci-fi weapon?" He asked, he voice filling with sarcasm at the last sentence.

"No prof, you already made that, remember?" He replied and raised his hand way above his head. "Around this tall, Russian, has a big exo-something around his whole body. Ring any bells?" He asked belittlingly for which the professor gave him an annoyed look.

"Yes. What about him?"

"Well, it turns out that there are some kind nano-bots in him. Know anything about that?" He asked and the professor's expression became guarded. "I'm not mad if you do." He added to calm him. He still hesitated but decided to answer in the end.

"I… I didn't know precisely. I just suspected. Considering the mass of the exo-skeleton it wou…"

"Fantastic, prof. It really is." Schultz cut in, having no patience for a science lesson. "The problem is that Ms. Bitch can remote control them to stop working somehow." He said, getting to the point of his visit. Connors looked annoyed for a second, then nodded in understanding.

"You want me to prevent her from doing that."

"I knew you earned your PhD" Schultz said drily, which earned him a flat look. "So, can you do it?" The professor thought about it for a few long seconds, during which Schultz desperately hoped that he could because they had nothing else. He almost passed out in relief when Connors started slowly nodding but he made sure that nothing changed in his body language.

"I think I might. It will take a little time but I know someone who's got with nano-technology." He said.

"Just make sure you're discrete, prof. Ms. Bitch probably has eyes and ears everywhere." He said in a tone that wouldn't scare the man too much, just enough to show how serious the situation was. "How much time would you guess?" He asked.

"I'd say a few weeks." The professor said after musing over it for a moment.

"Don't rush it. I think it's a safe bet that we'll only get one shot at this." He said, then stood up and drew the gun from his pocket. The professor froze completely and looked at Schultz as if thinking about whether he really was here for the reason he'd said or it was something else entirely. Schultz let an amused smirk spread across his face as he approached then flipped it over his finger so that the grip was facing Connors. "Here's your gun. It's empty but you'll find the bullets under the sofa." Then he leaned down and pulled out the injection from the couch. He studied it with a frown for a second then shrugged and handed it over. "And here's your heroine."

The professors eyes widened in shock and he started gaping like a fish before he managed to let out a few words. Sort of.

"Wha… That's… I'd never… It's not heroine." He said exasperated. "It's an experimental formula that could harness the regenerative abilities of a liz…"

"Hey, whatever gives you the kicks, prof, I won't judge." Schultz said raising his hands, then turning around on his heels and heading for the door. He opened it but stopped and glanced back. "Say hello to the Mss. and the kid for me?"

"I won't" Replied the professor flatly. Schultz snorted, then left, closing the door behind him.

As he walked down the stairs, he realized that he will have to get down to the sewers again. _Would getting caught be really that bad?_ After thinking about it for a brief second he decided the walking in shit to the waist was the wise choice.

* * *

 _The wise choice would be to pick it up._ Peter thought as he listened to his phone ring. It had been the second time it rang and if it was Aunt May who was calling, he'd be in serious trouble. But the fact that he was currently swinging around a few hundred feet in the air really made it hard to take a phone call. _I should have stayed home tonight, too._

In all fairness, he didn't even want to stay home the night before but Gwen's words had stuck him so he just hoped that the criminals wouldn't cause any trouble in the meantime. _They surprisingly didn't._ Besides, his body was still really sore after the fight with the Rhino, even with his enhanced healing factor. It could only do so much.

In the end, it actually turned out to be a pretty good night. Aunt May got to demonstrate her exceptional culinary skills, which, Peter realized, she hadn't really done since her husband passed away. They had fun talking, despite the fact that Peter had to tell some awkward childhood stories. But what made it worth the most was how Gwen Stacy changed during the dinner. She started out the same way as her usual self, all grumpy and hostile but slowly eased into a much nicer and happier person who was even surprisingly, dare he say it, cute (no, he actually didn't dare to say it). Peter realized that he wouldn't mind seeing this side of her more often.

But despite all the fun he had, by the time he woke up in the morning he found that he could barely restrain himself from jumping out the window to swing around for a few minutes to feel the wind brushing against his skin, to feel the rush of adrenaline, to fell that rare moment of weightlessness when he was in between swings and all the other things he had gotten used to over these few months. He had the sinking feeling that he started to become addicted to the excitement. _That shouldn't be why I do what I do._ But regardless, he had to do his usual patrol after missing out one night, since the Rhino and the Shocker were still free. He just hoped that he wasn't just telling himself that.

Nevertheless, receiving a call this late at night couldn't possibly mean any good. The fact that the caller dialed again after the first miss only further reinforced that thought. So he decided to take it. He shot two lines of web farther than he usually did and swung in a wider arc before letting go of them, letting his momentum carry him up in the air above all the skyscrapers. Then, he quickly pulled out his earphones from under his costume, put them in his ear under the mask, then connected them to his Osberry, while freefalling in the air. When he finished everything he shot web-line at a nearby building and swung between the long lines of trafficking vehicles, nearly hitting the ground and letting out a joyful shout during the whole thing. He felt rather proud for pulling that trick. So much so that by the time he remembered why he did it in the first place, his phone already stopped ringing. Luckily, not after ten seconds, it started up again.

"Yes?" He answered the call and tried his best to hide his panting from his exertions.

"Finally! I thought I'd have to call May." Said the very recognizable and very sweet voice of Mary Jane. "Where are you, Tiger? Especially at this late hour?" She asked in a teasing manner but Peter could hear a little worry behind it.

"In the city. I just… swung by a couple of shops." He said doing just that. Even if she wouldn't get the joke, Peter couldn't help himself. MJ remained silent for a couple of seconds then asked in a slightly reproachful voice.

"Does May know?" Peter only hesitated for a few short seconds but it seemed to be enough of an answer to her. She let out a deep sigh. "Look, I know you don't want to tell me what's going on but this is really getting out of hand. Are you still sure you can handle it, alone?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Yes, don't worry" He said and it felt like a lie even to him. Mary Jane hummed skeptically, then let another sigh, though this one was much lighter.

"Alright. But you know you can tell me anything. I won't judge." She said in a kind voice and Peter knew that she wouldn't. Of all the people he could tell his secret, she would probably accept him the quickest and that also included his Aunt. For a moment he felt the urge just lay everything out to her, the fun, the horrible and the still uncategorized. But he quickly overwrote it. It wasn't the time and the place and besides, he wasn't ready to reveal everything just yet.

"I know. And thank you." He said honestly, then hesitated for a second before continuing. "But now that you brought it up… There is something I should tell you." He paused to make a sudden turn and to collect his thoughts but MJ cut him off.

"Oh, can I guess!? Please? I'm very good at this!" She said in a girlish excitement, then before waiting for his answer he continued. "Let's see… How about…" She made a dramatic pause, then blurted out. "You've been telling Gwen that the two of us have been having friendly sex while you missed class and came home late?" She asked in a hurry, and shockingly enough there wasn't even a hint of accusation in her tone, only that sort of playfulness which people use when they catch someone doing something bad but aren't really mindful about it.

"Ahm…" Was all the intellectual answer Peter's genius brain could come up with. Mary Jane let out a long and sweet laugh, a sound so hypnotizing that Peter almost fell out of the rhythm of his swinging. But he quickly collected himself and managed to speak. "You know, you just hit the jackpot." MJ laughed again, this one more triumphant.

"Heh, good one." She said, still giggling. "See!? I told you I was good at this" She continued, heavy tease filling her voice.

"Yeah… you really are." Peter mumbled in a fake pout, which caused MJ to giggle again. She seemed to really enjoy this. "So… I take it you're not mad?"

"But Peter Parker" She started in a mock-serious tone. "You've been telling vicious rumors about me saying that I'd do such impure and inappropriate things. And you ask me whether I'm mad?" She asked, then couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing again. "Of course I'm not, Tiger. You know that, unless someone gets hurt, I don't care what people say about me. Though you could have told me, too." She added as an afterthought.

"But you know that's different. I'm your friend. Are you sur…"

"Oh, please. The fact that you're my friend only helps your case in my view." She said a bit consolingly. "Besides, I already implied it after Gwen caught us exiting the women's room. You just played on it." Peter remained silent for seconds, just swinging from street to street before shaking his head and letting out a quiet laugh.

"MJ, you're amazing."

"Yep." She answered shamelessly, then hesitated before continuing a bit more reluctantly. "But as amazing as I am, I'm still gonna have to ask you to stop with that excuse. And just to get a taste of your own medicine, I won't tell why."

"Real mature." Peter mumbled sarcastically, but he of course understood her perfectly. Then, maybe because wearing his mask, a bold question entered his mind and before he realized, it already left his mouth. "Are you saying I can't say it to anyone or that it has stop being just an excuse?"

Wearing his costume must have caused his more forward Spider-man persona to take control for a bit and now he really regretted coming out on a patrol. And things only just begin to get awkward. After one very long second of hesitation, Mary Jane begun to laugh, about which Peter was somehow happy and unhappy at the same time. Yet, still she had hesitated and even if it was just for one second, he had learned the hard way that one second could mean the difference between life and death. One second could literally mean the world to someone. It was something he would have to think about and a lot. But not now, on the phone while swinging through the city. Whatever went through Mary Jane's head, she must have come to the same conclusion because she spoke up first.

"Wow, feeling cocky, aren't we Tiger?" She asked her teasing voice never leaving but somehow it seemed less natural then before. Peter decided to ignore that for now.

"Well, you know, having imaginary sex can real…" He stopped mid-sentence as his spider-sense suddenly flared, all but screaming at him, and he twisted his body just in time to dodge a bullet. It flew past him and hit the concrete wall of a building, leaving a bigger impact than one shot from a machine gun could do. His heart started betting hard and he looked around frantically while steadying himself with a new line of web, but couldn't find the source. At some point, he had started heavily panting, which was only stopped by MJ's concerned tone.

"Peter!? What happened? Are you alright?" She asked in a tense voice, all her playfulness evaporating. Peter started swinging again, still looking for the point of origin.

"Yeah… It missed… I mean I missed a step and I almost fell but I'm…" He couldn't finish that either as he felt the warning again. He let go of the web-line he held and started freefalling when he felt the changing air-pressure caused by the speeding bullet just above his head, before it flew away, hitting the wall again. He shot another web-line and swung behind a building for cover, hoping that he estimated well enough where the shot had come from. Then he remembered that he was still on the phone. "Oh, again." He said panting a bit "I really can't concentrate on two things at once. I'm sorry MJ but I've gotta hang up. Talk to you tomorrow?" After a brief hesitation, MJ finally answered.

"Yeah, sure." She said, her worry evident in her voice, which meant that she at least suspected something wasn't right. "Have a good night." _I wish I could._

"You, too" He said then hung up. He hadn't felt any attack coming so it meant that he had guessed the bullets origin at least partially right. He steadied his breathing then let out one big sigh and jumped again and swing towards the street he had previously been at. He made sure to swing in a zig-zag to further lessen the chance of getting hit. Even with his spider-sense, it had been really close.

Fortunately enough, there weren't any additional shots to dodge. But despite that ninety-nine percent of humanity would be happy with that fact, for Peter it had also meant that he probably missed his attacker and he'd already escaped. With someone who got this close at this random a moment, he couldn't let that happen. He had to find where the shots came from.

In less than half a minute, he did but only because his attacker intended him to. He landed on the roof of a thirty stories building and was horrified at what he had found. Even though no-one was there anymore, his attacker had made sure to leave him a message in the form of a giant spider-symbol, very similar to the one he wore on his chest, painted with a silvery-white painting that shone in the moonlight. At each of the eight legs and the abdomen there were pictures of people with bags over their heads and the pictures themselves were coated in something red that Peter had a sinking feeling wasn't painting.

At the head of the spider, there was a letter and two cartridge cases. Still on edge he looked around slowly before picking up the letter and reading its content, his heart sinking in fear.

 _3 A.M. AT THE WAREHOUSE YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN TO, FROM THE FRONT DOOR. NO SOONER, NO LATTER. IF YOU TRY TO SNEAK IN, I WILL KILL ALL THESE PEOPLE. DON'T BRING HELP._

After he read every word carefully and stopped his hand from shaking, he let out sad little laugh. _At least now, I can be glad I hadn't stayed home, tonight._


	13. Chapter 13

**Ahm... Soo, I'm here to promise that this two-months-between-a-chapter is not gonna be the norm, okay? I'll try to reduce it to two weeks (or preferably one). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman or any other Marvel property.**

Chapter 13: With Some Wit and Huge Amount of Luck

Calling this one a dangerous situation would be quiet the understatement. Luckily, if there was one thing Peter could always maintain, then it was his positive attitude. Though life has been really putting it on test, lately. And a hostage situation on this scale was something he hadn't thought he'd have to deal with. Which in hindsight seemed naïve. It also meant that he would mostly have to improvise, though fortunately, he still had a few hours to think it through thoroughly, even if the wait only worsened his anxiety.

It was pretty bad to begin with but after somehow evading a sudden panic attack, he managed to calm himself down with some logical thinking. First, even though some paranoid self of his told him that maybe somehow some bad-guy found out his identity and kidnaped people who were close to him, he quickly realized that if that were the case then their faces wouldn't be covered by bags (though his paranoid self then suggested that it might just be for the sake of surprising him and Peter made a mental note to have a serious talk with his paranoid self… then he wondered if he was going crazy). Regardless, if someone had found out his true identity then they could have gotten his attention more easily than waiting for him on top of a roof on a random building. So at least he didn't have to worry about that. _Yay, for positive thinking!_

Next came the exact time when they had to meet. 3 in the morning was a rather odd choice but the more he thought about it the more sense it made. It was early enough so that people wouldn't be awake yet but also too late for most of those who would participate in the city nightlife. The wait was sufficiently long for anxiety (huge success there) and also for him to get a little tired. After that line of thought, Peter suddenly got a sinking feeling in his stomach. _What if this was only phase one of the assault?_ Sadly, the more he thought about it the more sense it made. Regardless of how the events of the hostage situation turned out, Peter would surely be exhausted both mentally and physically, if for nothing else then as an aftereffect of his adrenaline rush. By that time, the sun would rise, preventing him from sleeping. And after all that, what would someone malignant towards him do if that person knew he would be in this kind of state? Well, of course; he would try to take advantage of the situation to dispose of him once and for all.

It was a soberingly scary theory and Peter faintly hoped that it was just his paranoia running on overdrive. But something told that it wasn't the case. So, while waiting, he decided to prepare something for that scenario. _What wouldn't they expect Spider-man to do?_

By the time the shorter hand of the clock came close to the number three he had come up with something akin to a plan. With nothing else to do, Spider-man carefully approached the warehouse where he received his first concussion. _Not a very happy thought._ Though, in retrospect, that time he did manage to capture his intended target. He hoped that this time wouldn't be much different. _But I doubt I'll meet a light-haired femme fatale today…_

He silently circled the warehouse, doing his best to stay away from the light of street lamps. It looked completely abandoned from the outside and he couldn't even find any vans or other suspicious cars that could serve as an escape vehicle. Whoever they were, they seemed either horribly or incredibly well prepared and the Parker-luck suggested the latter.

After one last circle around the building, he jumped down to ground level and felt fear clutch his stomach in a tight grip. Walking in to an enclosed space alone, with unknown number of dangerous people waiting for specifically him and without any back-up on the way… Yeah, it was pretty much suicide. But he didn't doubt that if any of the conditions were broken, they would massacre everyone in there. He couldn't let that happen, especially after what happened at Hammerheads club. He would worry about himself later.

He took a deep breath and swallowed his fear. Walking in confidently could lend a lot of help considering that the limits of his power were still an unknown quantity for the public, so it might discourage the delinquents inside of doing something rash. So with that thought, he entwined his hands behind the back of his neck, arched his back as if he was leaning backwards and walked inside with a swagger, like he owned the place, then as greeting he simply said:

"Yo!"

By response, at least seven guns were pointed at him and he suspected that there were more hidden somewhere. At the other end of the huge empty space of the warehouse there was an improvised podium, made from wooden crates. On top of that were the nine kidnapped men and women, all of them with bags over their heads. Right behind the one in the center was the back of a huge, black office chair that looked really out of place. Though it was hard to see in the dim light, Peter could make out a pair of creamy white calves put in a cross-legged position. After a few seconds of intense silence, the chair, in an extremely clichéd manner, turned around to reveal an attractive, silver haired woman, sporting a smug and satisfied expression.

"How did you like my invitation?" She asked in a partly amused, partly disinterested voice. "I know shooting at you was a bit extreme but otherwise…"

"Where is the cat?" Spider-man interrupted.

"…What?"

"When you do this turning thingy, you need to have a cat or something that you can pet in your lap. Come on, that's basic egotistic villainy there. You should know!" He said in a mock-scolding manner. Even though he knew that the situation was way too serious for this kind of jokes, he wanted to put her off-balance. Plus he couldn't contain himself.

The woman just stared at him with an unreadable expression, completely robbing him the joy of seeing her dumbfounded face. But what came next was worse as a cold smile spread across her face and her eyes sparkled with unsettling amusement. Then, she grabbed the hostage in the center, a grown woman judging by her clothes, and forcefully pushed her head in her lap and started to gently stroke it, while her victim started to whimper. All the while, she continued to stare at him.

"Better? Though I admit it's not really conventional, I'll make do with what I have." She said in a sweet voice that was only that on the surface. The woman in her lap looked to be in a really uncomfortable position with her upper body twisted like that and tried to move her head away a little bit but her tormentor kept her in place. Though Peter couldn't really see her face because of the bag, judging by the sounds she must have been crying.

"I only accept it if you twirl your mustache or get a facial scar. Choose one!" Spider-man said with a forced light tone while trying to keep himself from panicking. Saying jokes usually made him feel at ease but even that was challenged today. Seeing how prepared this woman was, he had the terrifying idea that all these theatrics were arranged so she could present this exact power-demonstration for him. This was really bad. _This woman is smart!_ So playing the dumb jokester was his only defense.

"Hm-hm, playing immature and making childish jokes to distract us. How interesting." _So much for that._

"You know, I'm flattered you think so highly of me but… I'm actually not playing…" Spider-man trailed off to think of something but unfortunately he couldn't find any way out and his tenseness was becoming overbearing. And it seemed he wasn't the only one facing that problem as the woman hostage started to cry louder.

"P-please… Please…" Came her muffled voice from under the bag. "Please d-don't kill m-m-me… I-I uh I have a daughter…"

"Do you, now?" Asked the silver haired woman with the same sweet voice she used so far. Peter's heart skipped a beat. _Oh Lady, please just shut up!_ Fortunately, it seemed the woman had the same idea as no more sound came from her apart from her exhilarated breathing. Her captor seemed really satisfied with that and laid her hand gently on her head, causing the woman to freeze up.

"So what should I call you?" Spider-man asked the silver haired woman, trying to distract her from her captive, in the best disinterested voice he could master. He gave it a mediocre rating. But to his surprise, she seemed genuinely taken aback. So did most of her goons, their guns lowering slightly. _Nobody asked her that before? Seriously!?_

"I'll trade mine for yours." She said, after a brief pause, slightly tilting her head.

"Hi, I'm Spider-man. Not so nice to meet you." He said cheerfully and received a level look. But before she could refocus on the mother in her clasps, Peter continued. "I didn't ask for your name, I asked what to call you. Ugh, how disappointing! All that intimidating vibe of paying attention to every little detail just puff, vanished." He mock-scolded and shook his head disappointedly. The woman's eyes narrowed and she stopped moving her hand, placing it on top of her captive's head.

"I advise you not to take me lightly, Spider-man" She said in an even tone that changed to mocking when she said his name. "Otherwise the number of orphans in the city might increase. Momentarily." Saying it out loud made the threat much scarier, evidenced by an outburst of female whimper. Peter knew that this gamble could still turn out bad in a lot of ways but he was inexperienced and didn't know what else to do so he continued his easy-going play.

"Might? Oh, good then, I'm relieved." He said and tried to imitate a relieved sigh, that came out a little shaky but all in all wasn't so bad. "But if you're not gonna tell me what to call you, I'm gonna have to come up with something myself and if you think that 'Ms. Evil Meanlady' isn't gonna catch on, you're gonna have a baaad time." Peter bluffed. He knew fully well in his heart that that name wouldn't catch on. Also, that as threats went this one wasn't a very good one. The oh-so-poor receiver of these vile threats stared neutrally at Spider-man before, to his shock, the corner of her mouth twitched in a small smile. Then, she looked away slightly, her eyes turning unfocused in a dreamy expression.

"I suppose… I could be called Silver Sable again." She mused nostalgically, then she looked back at him. "At least, it is better than whatever you said." See, not memorable at all, unlike the one she just said. But no matter how much her sudden change of actions surprised Peter, they couldn't have surprised him as much as they did her goons who just stared at her in apparent shock, completely forgetting about the target they were supposed to watch.

Which was the chance Peter had been waiting for. By now, he realized that his original plan to capture the one in charge here to make them release the hostages was futile, since this woman would probably die before complying with his demands. Besides, she probably realized that she wouldn't really be in any physical danger. So instead, he decided on a less preferable, more reckless plan by shooting a web-line on the poor mother and pulling her hard with his superhuman speed. As expected, the goons were still rather unfocused but Silver Sable reacted almost immediately by trying to grab the receding woman's head but she only managed to get hold of the bag on her head, pulling it down.

Spider-man also made sure to pull her towards himself in an arc in case Sable reached for her gun and started to shoot. She didn't. Instead she threw a knife with her left hand while her right let go of the empty bag. His precaution working, the mother was safely being pulled in an arc away from the path of the flying knife while, with the help of his spider-sense, Peter easily dodged with a quick turn of his body. Then with a side-step he caught the now-half-rescued hostage in his arms who seemed absolutely lost with the quick turn of events. So much so that she even forgot to scream. And she would have to wait a bit more to do that.

"Sorry, ma'am." He said before forcefully pushing her down to the ground while simultaneously jumping up at least fifteen feet high in the air. This time, it worked better then in Hammerhead's club. The goons only now started to gather their wits and point their guns at something that would most likely be something moving. Such is human nature. But their boss seemed more professional so Peter decided to shoot a few web-balls at her to make her dodge, gaining some time. But it also meant that he had to delay shooting a web-line up to the ceiling to swing away and falling back down (relatively) slowly in the open air offered a pretty good target for even half-baked thugs, like these. Plus down there was a woman who might get caught in the crossfire. He couldn't let that happen again.

He shot a web directly above himself and as soon as it connected he turned himself upside down along the web-line, all the while his spider-sense sent intense tingles down his spine. He barely evaded a shower of bullets and quickly climbed up along the web to evade more. When his feet touched the ceiling he used it as leverage to push himself, just in time to dodge another rain of fire, and flew over the head of the hostages and shooting goons alike. He did a flip in the air, then tried to spot Sliver Sable on the ground. It seemed one of his web-balls had stuck her left foot to the makeshift podium and she just now cut herself free. She seemed to be heading for a hostage on the right, so Spider-man decided to intervene, hoping that the goons wouldn't shoot if she was in the line of fire too.

He shot a web at her, which she nimble dodged, produced a knife from under her sleeve and with a turning motion cut the web but Spider-man had already had time to pull himself so his momentum carried him on towards her. She reacted worryingly fast and jumped away rolling on the ground over the edge of the podium, then taking cover behind it. Meanwhile, as Peter descended, the goons stopped firing so that part of the plan worked at least. As soon as he hit the ground, he held out his arms in both direction and started to shoot web-balls randomly, from which some hit. The remaining thugs threw themselves on the ground which gave Peter time to think of something to do about the hostages.

But he didn't really have to as it turned out these people weren't as unviable as the ones in the movies and they already took down their head-bags, lay on the ground and started to crawl towards the exit. _How… refreshing._ But he didn't really have time to admire the scene as one of the more initiative thugs sat up in a crouching position and took aim. Peter got ready to jump away when he saw, from the corner of his eyes, another goon starting to stand up, directly in the line of fire. _Why can't you be as smart as your hostages?!_ He thought, then made a back-flip, grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him along over the edge of the right side of the podium. As bullets flew over their head, the thug stared at Spider-man in a shocked expression.

"How embarrassing is that I'm the one who has to save you!?" Peter shouted over the gunfire. "We're on opposite sides, you know." He said and just to prove his point, he knocked him out. Life was good… Until the firing above his head stopped. In any other case it would be a really good thing but now this could mean the thug wants to focus on the escaping hostages. So he jumped up from his hiding place, only to find another goon pointing a gun at him. He spun in the air and shot web-balls at them which they evaded by throwing themselves back on the ground. This was exactly what he wanted as he landed, jumped back again and webbed them down from above, making them unable to move at all.

When he landed, he looked around only to see the last of the hostages running out of the warehouse and he let out a relieved sigh. Then, near where he was standing he saw that two goons who were previously hit with his web-balls were trying to escape so he went to them and with cheerful a 'night-night', knocked them out too. Satisfied, he turned around only to see the last criminal holding the gun of one his webbed down comrades. He smiled triumphantly. At this distance he couldn't miss, though for some reason his spider-sense didn't warn Peter. He soon found out why as the guy pulled the trigger and the gun clicked empty. Peter felt an immense relief but he made sure not to let it show in his body language. Also…

"Bluh!... You can't see it because of the mask but I just stuck out my tongue at you."

"You fucking little shi…" He didn't get to finish as a web-ball hit him right in the face.

"Heh, it never gets old." Spider-man chuckled. The man still standing and obviously furious, threw the empty gun at him in frustration, which he easily caught and immediately threw back, something the man apparently didn't expect as he barely even raised his hands before the gun hit him square in the head and knocked him out. "Hah! And it gets better."

"It clearly does." Said a feminine voice, whose owner Peter hoped had already left. He lucked around to find her holding the mother he had rescued first by her hair with a knife in her other hand. _Oh, come on, lady!_ While Peter's blood froze, Silver Sable looked around with an impressed look on her face. "It seems you live up to your reputation."

"Well, your minions weren't much of a challenge." He said hoping to buy some time to think. He needed to prolong the conversation. _Where are the villains who monologue!?_

"They served their purpose." _Well, they're not here._

"By the way, they looked surprised when you revealed your name. What did they call you before? The Woman?"

"They didn't call me." She said smugly. "I called them!"

"Nobody called you!? How depressing! No wonder you're so mean." He said with mock-concern while Sable narrowed her eyes in frustration.

"You're immature jokes aren't having any effect." She said in a warning tone.

"Much like your plan. Oooh, wow Silver, did you feel it? The burn? Did you…?" While Spider-man continued his ranting, Sable seemed to have had enough. She raised her right foot and kicked the mother forward with great force while she also got out few other knifes from her various hidden pockets. Since he didn't come up with anything, Peter had lost the chance to attack first and now knives were starting to head towards the mother's direction. As she was directly in front of him, he couldn't pull her away with a web-line and he barely even had time to think through that thought as he realized he had to act now. _Ahh, goddammit!_

Spider-man jumped forward and pushed the woman aside from the oncoming knives, then spun around and launched himself to the side hoping to evade them. He dodged all but two, one digging itself into his right calf, the other into his left shoulder. He tried to prepare himself for the pain but he underestimated it. He thought it would be like when, after walking down to the basement at the age of nine, he stepped into a nail (his Uncle blamed himself for months after that for dropping it). And while it was similar, it also burned like hell as if someone had poured salt mixed with lemon juice and freaking acid into his wounds, though he suspected that it was something far more sinister. _Poison!? She coated her knife in poison!_

This was bad. Really, really bad. The idea of being poisoned completely overwhelmed him so much so that the pain itself only became a secondary problem. _Even with my superhuman metabolism and healing factor I… I don't know if I can... Dammit, Peter pull yourself together. Don't create imaginary dangers while you're still in a real one! Worry about dying now now and about dying later later._ He found his thoughts profoundly wise and confusing. _The best kind!_

With that settled he turned around in time to see Silver Sable charge him with a new knife in hand, this one a little bent in the end. She jumped at him, straddling him and pushing the knife right towards his face. His superhuman reflexes saved him but since the weapon was in her right hand he had to block it with his left arm which was weakened by the throwing knife, still sticking out from his shoulder. So he only managed to slow her thrust down and now they were engaged in a pushing contest which he was slowly but steadily losing, with Sable using her whole body weight to push the blade to mere inches from his face. That is until Spider-man used his right arm to help him push her back. In a close quarter combat his superhuman strength was decisive.

Up until to the point when Silver Sable kicked his right calf about which he wasn't warned because his spider-sense had been buzzing non-stop ever since the two knives stuck in him. The blinding pain was so intense that for a quick moment he even lost consciousness, though luckily he had enough presence of mind to trust his head to the right before it happened. Which pretty much saved his life as the metallic clanking of the knife against the floor brought him back to reality. It was right next his ear. The whole situation terrified him so much that in his desperation he pushed the buttons on both his web-shooters, the left one shooting a line somewhere to the distance while the right shot right at his attacker who reacted by jumping off of him. By the time she realized that it wasn't an attack as much as an instinctive defense mechanism, Spider-man has already rolled away and stood up, carefully putting most of his weight on his left foot.

Wounded, tired and terrified as hell he couldn't win this one, spider-powers and all whatnot. Plus he already accomplished what he came here to do. Catching the culprit would have to be put to another time. _This is becoming a trend and I don't like it!_ But as soon as he tried to take a step forward an intense pain shot up his leg and he had to swallow back a grunt. _This can't be helped, I'll have to catch her another time._ He glanced around and spotted the mother who was limping towards the exit, then he raised his right arm and started to shoot web-balls at Silver Sable… Only to face karma and have it click empty.

Luckily, Silver reacted before that was revealed as she jumped away, giving Peter enough time to dash toward the mother (albeit hurriedly limping might be a more accurate description), grabbing her from behind in a hug and lifting her up. Gritting his teeth, he painfully trust forward his left arm and, to prevent himself from passing out due to pain again, he grabbed his wrist with his right hand, shot a web-line from the left and pulled himself up. And the woman with him who probably had no idea what was going on and screamed as loud as she could, gifting ringing ears to Peter's collection of pain.

They got out of the warehouse and swung a couple of more yards but the lack of web-fluid and growing agony made Spider-man land (sort of adding to the latter) and let go of the woman who was calming down by now. They stood there for half a minute, just panting and trying to calm down when Peter finally heard the sirens approaching, as if a finishing sound to the things that happened. He let out a deep sigh and nearly collapsed but stopped himself because he thought that if he sat down he would fall asleep right on the spot. Instead he looked at the woman he just saved. She looked to be around her late thirties and with her dark brown her and eyes she looked vaguely familiar, though with his current state of mind he couldn't tell why.

"Sorry about your coat." He said and when she looked confused he pointed at her back where her light brown coat was stained with blood. _My blood! Jesus, that's a scary thought._

"Oh… Here, take it! It's no problem." The woman said meanwhile, taking the coat off and holding it out.

"Wha…?" It took him a few seconds to realize why she did that. It was his blood! His DNA that the police, and probably some other people too, would get. He gratefully took it. "Ahm, thank you." He said while he thought about how odd was that this was the first thought this woman had.

"I- I should be the one saying that." She said sheepishly. Then she asked uncertainly. "Are you… all right?"

"Ah, yeah I ah…" He heard the police sirens getting really close so he decided to wrap this up. "I have to go." He said, then he took out his spare web-fluid and put it in his right web-shooter… Then he realized that he probably shouldn't have done that in front of a civilian, rescued victim or not. He looked up, tilting his head and asked. "Ahm, keep it a secret?"

"S-sure." She answered and Peter hoped that her uncertainty was only because of her surprise. Nonetheless, it couldn't be helped now. With his left leg he pushed himself off the ground and headed for his home, essentially inventing limp-swinging.

On the way home he thought about many things, like how he will have to basically operate on himself. He was not looking forward to that part. About the poison, he was less worried now, as it already should have taken effect and the fact that Silver Sable tried to kill him after the hit reassured him even more. It was probably just smeared with something to increase the pain. Still, carefully washing out the wound sounded like a pretty good idea. He also thought about the fact that for the first time in his life, he was straddled by a woman which, given the circumstances, was rather depressing.

And he thought about his theory that this was all just phase one and within a few hours he would face something at least equally hard. _But what could it be?_

"Suit up and get Mr. O'Hirn. You're attacking in half an hour." Rang their boss' voice in Schultz' ear as soon as he picked up the phone. Her voice was as monotone as always but he thought he could hear a bit of frustration behind it. He decided to test it.

"Whatever you say, Boss. I like vague orders as much as any other henchman. Should we attack a deli or…"

"MR. SCHULTZ!" He didn't get to finish because his boss snapped. She snapped! So loud, in fact. that Schultz had to jerk his phone away from his ears. Then, she continued in a more refined manner that was even more threatening. "If I were in your place I would omit the snappy remarks right now." _No you wouldn't_. Schultz thought after hearing that. But still, hearing her this angry made him wonder if his little testing didn't also just sign his own execution. _I'm getting too reckless…_ _wait a minute!_ _Getting angry from snappy remarks?_

"Ah, I see. You've met him, right?" He asked and even despite the silence on the other end he knew that it was true. "It seems that little bug can get under anyone's skin."

"Your ignorance in matters of biology is nearly as annoying as he is." She sighed but from her tone it sounded like she agreed with him. They agreed on something. Now there's a scary thought.

After that, she told Schultz everything that happened in the early hours of the day and her plan to make another attack. At first, he thought it would be something more detailed and complicated but he soon found that it had a certain appeal in its simplicity. Fighting a weakened Spider-man… He had a good feeling about it.

They hung up and he told everything to O'Hirn who seemed at least as excited as he was, if not more. That scared him a little, however. During these past few days Schultz has come to realize that his partner had been getting… wilder. Granted, he wasn't exactly a gentle person to begin with and at first he thought that he was just imagining it because of his rhinoceros-like appearance but his behavior has certainly became more animal-ish. Be it his movements or his growing lack of control over his temper and his new and quiet unprofessional way of attacking with his artificial horn. Even though they had planned the attack on their boss the other day to expose her secret, he had to wonder if O'Hirn would have attacked anyway. It was a worrying thought. But he had no time for those right now.

He put on his ridiculous costume and, along with his partner, exited the safe-house (O'Hirn had to duck). By now, the local media was full of the events that happened during the early hours of the day and according to their boss, they were about to get a report from an unconfirmed source that there were other kidnapped people as well, right there at their safe-house. Which, of course, was complete bullshit but it was a convenient way to attract Spider-man's attention and it also meant that the two of them didn't have to go far. They looked rather conspicuous. While the possibility of police interference also increased, Schultz was certain that if they received some 'suggestion' that arriving late was in their best interest they would do just that. Besides, they could handle a couple of patrol cars. It's not like the police were prepared for them.

It was around noon but the streets of New York were always busy. People threw weird glances at him but as soon as they saw O'Hirn they either hurriedly looked elsewhere or just simply turned around and flee. It felt oddly satisfying. It must have been the same to Alex too because he got so happy that he jumped in the middle of the road, directly in front of moving car, which smashed into him. It hardly seemed to faze O'Hirn but the driver had an open wound on his head. He had enough presence of mind to open the door and stagger out of the vehicle before the huge monstrosity picked it up and smashed his head against it to send it flying. That is… he wanted to but the car got impaled on his horn. The tons his arms could carry were suddenly on his head and the unexpected weight made him fall forward. It took him a minute to get it down from his horn with lots of wobbling and trashing around.

The worries of Schultz resurfaced. His friend's primal movements haven't really reached this far before. Hoping to get this problem put of his sight, he decided to help him get the last remaining piece down. He aimed his gauntlet and fired a semi-light shockwave, which broke the thing in half, causing it to fall to the ground. But that wasn't the only thing it caused as O'Hirn suddenly turned towards him with intense fury in his eyes. He let out a belly roar and started to approach him menacingly. The sheer sight of it made Schultz tremble.

"HEY, Alex! Alex, it's me! I was just trying to help." He shouted, then continued in a (fake) calmer voice while backing away. "It's me! Herman Schultz! Your fr… partner." O'Hirn slowly stopped his approach but his eyes still remained alien. Then, he blinked and shook his head with a strong exhale while the tension left his shoulder. It didn't leave the body of Schultz, though as he continued to look uncertainly at him. _What the fuck is happening to him?_

"Sorry." Alex finally said with downcast eyes and Schultz let out a relieved sigh. _At least could come back… now._ He added as an afterthought. He started to think what to say to him when…

"Sooo, do you guys need a couple's therapy or is this break up time?" Asked probably the most annoying cheerfully childish voice that ever existed. But that was what they've been waiting for. Schultz looked around to search for the source and easily spotted him in his red and blue tights, standing horizontally on a wall with his arms folded. From the looks of it, he seemed to favor his left leg for standing. _So that bitch really wounded him._ Unfortunately, she didn't do anything to his vocal cords as he continued to speak. "Shocker and Rhino together. I wonder what your shipping name would look like. The Shino? No, no… The Rhocker! That's the one. Maybe you two could wear a…"

"Shut the fuck up already! Don't you worry about what we'll do to the hostages!?"

"Nah, that's just bait. If you had any you wouldn't be standing out here in the open." Answered Spider-man with a shrug while Schultz started to feel really stupid. "You just wanted my attention, much like Sable. Honestly though, she looked way more professional then to work with you guys but I guess she makes due with what she has." He continued taunting. _What Sable? Does he mean the boss? Damn it, this annoying bug already knows more about her than we do!?_ Schultz had doubted that he could hate him more but he was just proven wrong. With his annoyance surpassing the boiling point, he raised his hand and fired off a shockwave. As expected, Spider-man easily dodged and swung to the other side of the street but Schultz noted that he did so with his right arm, while his left remained close to his chest. He felt a satisfied smile spread across his face. _This is gonna be your end, you cheeky son of a bitch._

"You know, I could almost call you brave, coming wounded to a fight." Schultz said, gaining time to readjust his gauntlets to a stronger power level while O'Hirn tensed his body up and clenched his fists. "But really, that's just stupid."

"Yep, I agree." Said Spider-man joyfully. "But unfortunately for you, I'm considered quite a smart citizen of New York. So I did what smart citizens do when in danger." He continued while he got out something that had been concealed by his wounded left arm until now. It looked like an air horn and Schultz started get an uneasy feeling. Their target raised it up in the air and finished with his still happy tone. "I called the police."

Schultz fired again but Spider-man pushed himself away, jumped high above the street and pushed the air horn. A loud noise spread across the street and it was quickly followed by another, more familiar sound. Sirens. Very near and a lot of them. Suddenly, two huge black armored trucks from the NYPD Emergency Service Unit turned in from perpendicular streets opposite each other, completely surrounding them. From the distance, the distinctive booming sound of a helicopter could be heard, and it most likely didn't belong to the media.

It was at this moment that Schultz knew, they'd fucked up. First of all, they never even suspected that a self-righteous young vigilante would call the cops and that they would come along. But from the things in front of him and from the sounds in the distance, it was evident that they not only did come but they also went overboard. And he also realized why as he glanced at his partner. When O'Hirn literally leveled their headquarters he had made it personal to the entire police, corrupt or not. He had wounded their pride and the sense of security and privilege of those who had received additional paychecks. It had united them, made them seek alliance with someone they probably wouldn't have otherwise and those reports that usually warned their 'benefactors' were put on a hold. And now they came with full force, some for justice and some for pure revenge but neither was good for the two of them.

"Oh, fuck my life." Muttered Schultz, then raised both his hands and fired at one of the oncoming vehicles. Meanwhile, O'Hirn let out a ground-shaking roar and charged at the other one. The one Schultz had shot at turned abruptly and received the shockwave at its rear side which made it spin uncontrollably and then turn over a completely, rolling a few times. Taken care of that he looked around, only to see two cups jumping out from the other moving truck just before the impact, courtesy of O'Hirn. Then the front of the truck completely imploded and the loud noise of collision shattered a few windows nearby. The first round was theirs.

But it was short victory as it soon turned out that O'Hirn faced a similar problem as a minute before with the car, only it was a much heavier obstacle. And this time, Schultz had other things to worry about as well. Three patrol cars drifted into view and several other policemen also appeared, carrying guns. Clearly outnumbered, he decided to take cover by the truck he had just turned over. But not before letting out another shockwave at the closest patrol car. It was a direct hit and its front shattered as if it just went into a wall at full speed. By response the policemen started shooting and he was lucky enough to barely take cover before that.

He felt his whole body shake with adrenaline and fear and he wanted to take a few moments to calm down but he knew that his cover would only last so long. He glanced up to check on his partner who seemed to be still stuck in the same tight spot. Then, as if just waiting for him to see, O'Hirn suddenly pushed his hands forward, inside the truck and spread its two sides apart with brute force. The right side of it flew directly towards one of its previous passengers but before it could hit, a web-line pulled him out of harm's way. Schultz raised his head even further and saw Spider-man standing on top of a building, pulling the web-line with one hand. He felt the urge to just shoot him down from there but he was out of range. Besides he always seemed to dodge them somehow.

Having taken enough rest (not really but as much as one can ask for in this kind of situation) he turned around and aimed at his cover. He knew cops well enough to suspect that they would use the same cover and try to circle around it to surround him. _Well, I'll beat them to the punch line_. He thought then fired of a shockwave. Judging by the heavy thuds and the following screams of pain, he guessed right. Having opened a way, now he just needed to get his partner out of this impossible situation. _Well… shit._

He turned around and ran towards him while thinking about how to do it. O'Hirn, meanwhile seemed to be having fun as he trashed around with a couple of other patrol cars, using his fists instead of his horn for a change. Schultz suddenly had a sinking feeling that words couldn't possibly reach him right now. _Should I use the gauntlets on him?... no_. Not because he worried it might harm him but because the sheer thought of attacking him in this state made him want to go back and fight another set of armored trucks. Unarmed!

Just as he was wondering what to do, a string of web shot down from above, blinding O'Hirn and allowing a few officers to escape. Schultz looked up again only to see Spider-man walking down the wall. He seemed to be in range but he decided to wait with the shot a little longer. He just watched him shoot web after web while O'Hirn tried to get them off of his face. Then, finally O'Hirn turned away and Spider-man did what Schultz had been waiting for. In order to be able to blind him, Spider-man had to jump over to the other side of the street, leaving himself vulnerable for a few seconds. With a newfound glee, Schultz raised his gauntlet and thought; _dodge this, you little shit._

But since he couldn't do anything without frustrating him, Spider-man somehow sensed the oncoming danger and managed to twist his body enough to only receive some of the blow. It still sent him flying away but it probably didn't do much harm. Schultz let out a frustrated sigh. Then, from the corner of his eyes he saw a patrol car approaching with a policewoman aiming a gun from the rolled down window. He jumped forward, rolled on the ground, then got up on one knee and raised his left arm to fire off another shockwave at the front right tire of the car. It hit and the car suddenly flipped and flew up, turned over midair and then fell back down, sliding a few yards. Both of the passengers seemed to be alive though as they tried to find a way get out of the vehicle. When he started to think about whether they still presented some sort of danger or not, a familiar voice spoke up above him.

"Hey! You stole that from every action movie ever!" Spider-man shouted. Schultz whirled around but it was already too late as a web-line already hit his back. When his enemy flung his arm upwards he felt his body being hurled with an impossible force. He flew up at least fifteen feet, to the same height as Spider-man who stuck to the wall. Schultz tried to make the best out of the situation and raised his hand but his opponent was faster as he jumped forward, flew over his head, then turned around midair and shot a huge web-ball at him which smashed him against the wall and stuck him there.

Even though the webbing covered most of his body, he could still escape. But his gauntlet was set to the strongest so if he fired a shockwave now, it wouldn't just dissolve the web but also shatter the wall he was stuck to which could cause some serious damage to him. On the other hand, the only other possibility was to remain still and eventually get caught. While he wondered which would be worse, he looked back at the street only to see Spider-man landing a few yards before O'Hirn. He somehow got hold of that stupid air horn again and started to blow it to get the giant's attention. It successfully distracted him from smashing another patrol car and he let out a primal roar at his direction. But before he could charge, Spider-man leapt into the air, wrapped the still blowing air horn in webbing and threw it at O'Hirn. It stuck right below his left ear and continued to let out its infuriatingly loud noise. O'Hirn started trash his head around, then when it (obviously) didn't have any effect he changed his 'tactics' and rolled his left hand into a fist. _Wait… Please don't…_

But it was already too late as O'Hirn literally punched himself in the face with all his might and fell to the ground. Schultz started to fear the worst but it seemed he wasn't even unconscious as he slowly started to get up, though he did seem rather dizzy. Meanwhile, Spider-man rolled around on the ground with heavy laughter and some ambulance cars arrived and started to treat the wounded. But those weren't the only thing that arrived as the pulsing noise got louder and Schultz looked up to see a police helicopter above the street. At first, it looked like an ordinary one but he soon discovered a gigantic generator strapped to its side. But before he could think further about it, O'Hirn got up and let another roar. Spider-man started to shoot web-balls at his feet in a futile attempt to stop him. But it only slowed him down a bit which… _wait a minute!_ Schultz glanced back at the helicopter and saw its side door open. Then, a weird looking gun was aimed at O'Hirn and it released an enormous metal net.

It fell right on top of him while he lurched forwards and got tangled in it. The helicopter was suddenly pulled along but soon enough the pilot managed to regain control. Then, a little light on the generator turned on and Schultz looked back at his friend in a horrified expression. His back abruptly arched like a bow and his mouth hung open in a silent scream as an insane amount of electricity surged into his body. It was probably enough to light up a whole building. And Schultz worried that the police might not stop with just knocking him out.

Making up his mind, he activated both his gauntlets and felt the wall explode from behind him. Finally able to move, he pointed the gauntlets at the ground and fired again to stop his falling. Debris fell on his back and head but he seemed to be lucky enough to be missed by the weightier ones. The ground cracked beneath the heavy shockwave as he nearly landed before its force pushed him back in the air. Flying higher than before, he turned towards the helicopter and raised his hand. From the corner of his eyes he could see Spider-man swinging towards him, probably trying to prevent him from doing whatever he thought Schultz wanted. But it was too late. The Shocker had a clear shot.

The shockwave only hit the generator partially but it was more than enough to make it explode. A gigantic fireball appeared in its place and parts of the now broken helicopter were sent flying everywhere. The cockpit somehow remained mostly intact and flew a few yards in the air before it started its inevitable descend. Though Schultz couldn't see what happened to it after that, he had a pretty good guess. But he had his own problems as Spider-man reached him and even though he tried to fire at him too, his enemy was much faster. He kicked with full speed of his swing and Schultz instantly felt the distance between their power levels. The kick immediately dislocated his left shoulder and sent him flying. While grunting from pain, he realized that Spider-man wouldn't be able to catch him with his web due to his currently disabled left arm. With that scary thought in mind, he stuck out his good arm while spinning in the air and fired off another shockwave. It hit a few traffic lights before it was finally aimed at the earth and slowed his falling but it still hurt when he hit the ground as he rolled a few feet before stopping, lying on his stomach.

He wanted to lay there for a few seconds (or preferably, a few hour) but he knew he didn't have time for that. He got up onto his elbows while he felt the familiar metallic taste in his mouth. He took down his helmet and spit blood on the ground, then wiped the rest with his fingers. Then, he started chuckling. _I just took down a fucking helicopter and this bee stinging is all that happened to me._ He sensed another burst of laughter coming from his stomach but before he could have been swept away by it, a heavy thud could be heard and the ground shook beneath him.

He turned around to see O'Hirn spread out in the middle of the street, without even a twitch of a movement. It appeared that this amount of electricity was too much even for him, though Schultz was unsure whether he was just unconscious or worse. But, be it either, he couldn't do anything for him now. He had no way of getting him out of this street. He would have to abandon him here. The mere idea of it caused him to grit his teeth so hard that he was getting afraid its sound would alert the nearby officers of his presence. But right now, that was his best choice. He could think of a way to help him later

He got up and was faced with four officers exiting a newly arrived patrol car. Due to his anger, Schultz instinctually raised his hand and fired, sending both the car and the people flying away. He felt the urge to continue his rampage to vest his anger but decided against it and made a run for it instead. He heard some shouting behind him and quickened his steps while raising his good hand and firing again, hoping that the chaos it caused would help him escape. He didn't even try to raise his left one as the pain was already near unbearable.

He was getting seriously tired which caused his vision to blur but he still managed to spot a construction site. He turned that way, hoping to hide somewhere. At some pint he realized that all these events must have taken a heavier toll on him because he just realized that was walking on sand and not concrete. He also barely realized that a black Chevrolet Impala has stopped on the road behind him. While trying to muster enough strength to raise his still working hand up, he slowly turned around to see a short haired woman and Captain freaking Stacy exiting the vehicle, both of them raising their pistols simultaneously.

"Stop right there!" Came the order from Captain Stacy and Schultz found himself complying. _Fuck!_ "Hands where I can see them and don't make any sudden movements!"

"Captain, this is too dangerous." Said the brunette while sending Schultz a murderous glare. "We should just sho…"

"Jean, no!" Was the simple, ice-cold response of the Captain while he didn't even take his gaze off of the target. The woman (Jean, apparently) clenched her jaws and narrowed her eyes but she seemed to respect him enough to follow his orders. Schultz hesitated for a few moments but realized that if he made any move to attack now, Jean, and probably the Captain too, would shoot him within a heartbeat. No matter how much it infuriated him, he had to admit that he'd lost.

"Alright" He rasped and had to clear his throat to continue. "I… I give up." He said while he got onto his knees and raised his right hand above his head. "My… my left arm isn't… it isn't working." By now, more police officers appeared, all of them with guns pointed at him. Even Spider-man was there, sitting on top of a building on the opposite side of the street.

"If you try anything funny, you'll be shot to dead before you know it." Said one of approaching officers, who was in the process of getting out his handcuffs. _Heh, I'm the one who usually says things like that._ Two other policemen were coming too and Schultz couldn't help but let out a sigh. _Well, at least it's over…_

Just as he was thinking that, all the approaching officer got sucked waist deep into the sand. The panic was instantaneous but by some miracle, nobody started to shoot.

"Stop whatever you're doing!" Came the order from Captain Stacy.

"N-no, it's not… it wasn't me!" The dumbstruck Schultz said frantically but even to him it was pretty unconvincing and he knew for a fact he didn't do it. Meanwhile, the three officers started to slowly sink, causing them to cry for help.

"Bullshit! Captain, this can't go on! Lives are at stake!" Snarled Jean as she steadied her grip on her pistol. The Captain's icy eyes studied Schultz intensely.

"Please… I swear… I swear it's not me." Schultz pleaded while looking for the cause himself, hoping to point it out to them. Apparently he wasn't the only one.

"It's not him!" Shouted the high-pitched voice of Spider-man, who must have seen something from the high-ground. As soon as he said it, the sinking stopped and an eerie silence shrouded the entire area.

Then, a literal sandstorm erupted from the ground, enveloping them all, even though there wasn't so much as a breeze the whole day. The sand swirled and shifted on it's on, blocking the police, but even the sun from his view. Then, Schultz heard guns firing and he immediately threw himself on the ground but he knew that even if they couldn't see him, they knew his location pretty well.

But he wasn't hit, not even once. Baffled he looked up to see a hill made of sand built before him that shielded him from the bullets. _What the…_ He shook his head, deciding that he could figure it out later and started crawling away. After he was sure that he was far enough, he stood up, albeit quite wobbly. Through his dizziness and shock, it took him a second to realize that a human shaped body was starting the form out of the sand, directly in front of him. It was mostly just a silhouette really as it kept dissolving before any distinctive feature could be seen. Schultz just stared at, unsure of what else to do before it gave him an idea by raising a hand and pointing somewhere. He followed its direction only to find a tunnel leading underground.

"Ahm… Thanks." He said, turning back. The shape seemed to nod but suddenly it started looking around frantically before fixing its gaze at a certain direction. Then, it simply dissolved. Schultz looked towards where it was last looking and, through the sandstorm, he could make out the variations of red and blue colors in a human form. _Oh, fuck no!_ He thought and he seriously doubted that he had enough for a fight in him.

But it turned out that it didn't matter because as soon as Spider-man swung into clear view. an enormous fist shot up from the ground and knocked him away before it dissolved again. Schultz's mouth literally hung open for a second before he closed it because of all the sand around him. He had to spit a few times.

"Thanks, again." He mumbled, then decided that he had seen enough weird shit for a day and headed for the tunnel. After going through it, he started walking aimlessly while breathing steadily in and out, trying to process all that happened.

Then, he was suddenly left with the question of where to go now. With all her preparations, he was sure that their boss would be really furious with them. And it scarred the living shit out of him. He thought about whether he could just escape from all this but didn't doubt that he would be quickly found and then he would suffer ten times more. _Hell, didn't I give the exact same advice to Connors just yesterday. What kind of a man doesn't listen to his own advice?_ He thought about that for a moment. _Though, a smart man probably wouldn't listen to me… It's such a shame I'm fucking dumb._ And with that, he headed in a direction he hoped would get him to his destination.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:... Yeah I'm not even gonna promise when I might update again... I couldn't keep it anyway. But I'm trying to work as fast as I can.**

Chapter Fourteen: Oh-So-Subtle-Warings

Yesterday, the unimaginable happened. The police allied itself with non-other than Spider-man to take down the criminals, publicly known as Shocker and Rhino. Even though it was only a half-success, by night, every known media outlet was covering the story, with lots of speculations, criticism and all the other things they usually do when something major happens. The Daily Bugle was, of course, no exception and, despite some heavy protests, it mostly went on the criticizing side.

That wasn't really surprising to Betty. The surprising part was that Ben Ulrich agreed to Mr. Jameson's demands without any objection. She found that really weird since he has been, if not actively supportive, then at least positively neutral about New York's masked vigilante. And a bit disturbing since he knew to some degree that Betty had had met him before. Which is why, despite her curiosity, she didn't want to question his willingness to undermine Spider-man and the police so openly.

Ned had no such problems however, and since she still had a hard time saying no to him, they were both walking towards Mr. Ulrich's office together. Ned seemed really vivid so Betty hoped that she could rein him in a little bit before they arrived there but he hadn't really listened to her so far. Still, she was sure that Mr. Ulrich was busy and wouldn't receive them upfront so she thought she had time… which is why it surprised him that he was waiting for them in front of his office. His face seemed to say 'finally' as soon as he saw them.

"Ms. Brant. Mr. Leeds." He greeted them in a polite, indifferent tone. Ned looked as surprised as Betty felt but he quickly got over it, changed his expression to a neutral one and cleared his throat.

"Good morning to you to, Mr. Ulrich. We were wondering if we could talk to you for minute or two." He said getting to the point quickly and unintentionally robbing Betty the chance to return the greeting. She settled for a nod. Ulrich's expression remained unreadable but Betty thought that his eyes sparkled with amusement at Ned's hurried tone.

"What a coincidence." He said slowly as if musing over it. "I was just going to look for the two of you myself. You know, these last few years I've been noticing that these kind of coincidences happen one after another without any explanation…" It was by this point that Betty realized that he was just stalling or, at very least, talking deliberate nonsense. It was to annoy Ned and he was really committed to it as he just kept going on and on about the nature of inexplicable coincidences or something like that… honestly, Betty tuned out and she was just waiting for Ned to interrupt. She didn't have to wait long.

"Sir, could you… I mean I'm sorry to interrupt but… Why are you doing this?" He asked and managed to maintain his professional tone even if it slipped for bit.

"Could you specify that, Mr. Leeds?" Ulrich asked in a bit harder tone.

"Why are you stalling?" Ned asked, letting a bit of irritation slip into his voice.

"So you can ask a direct question, that's a relief." He said monotonically. "Then, pray tell, why didn't start with one?" He continued, resuming his harder way of speaking.

"Sir?"

"If you want to ask me something, then treat me as a colleague and simply ask but if you want to interview me with standard introductory questions then don't expect me to be straight with you either. Is that clear?" He lectured Ned but somehow managed to avoid to sound condescending. It must have come from years of experience working under Jonah Jameson. Ned just stared at him, as if he was trying to decide whether he should get offended or not. He apparently chose the latter.

"Why did you support Mr. Jameson's campaign against the police and Spider-man?" Ned asked and Mr. Ulrich nodded with satisfaction.

"Because it sets a dangerous precedent for the NYPD. And before you start making excuses, I'm well aware that in light of the recent attack on the police headquarters, it had to take extreme measures and that the vigilante Spider-man helped a great deal both in capturing the attacker and protecting police lives but the fact remains that they involved a civilian during a shootout and one whose identity isn't even known." When he saw that Ned still wanted to argue, he sighed and continued. "Look, this criticism was necessary. If we supported this kind of action, there would be riots. This way, the police can say its excuses then eventually apologize and swear not to make the same mistake again. They recover and the public stays happy that it got to scold the system."

"Even if he could be of help again?" Ned asked half-heartedly. Mr. Ulrich's neutral face changed into mischievous one.

"Maybe they just have to find a less overt way to work with him." He said then he let out a little laugh. He seemed confident about what he said. Betty, however, wasn't convinced.

"Sir, with all due respect to your years of experience, I don't think this will just go away as easily as you say. Some media outlets are getting louder about this then us. Luckily, there weren't any casualties but with this many wounded and this much property damage, they're going to need a scapegoat. And the most likely candidate is…"

"Captain Stacy." Ben Ulrich interrupted. It didn't seem like her worries surprised him, in fact it seemed that he looked at her with admiration for pointing them out. But that look quickly changed to a troubled one. "Yeah, that worries me, too. There are very few people I respect as much as him. He represents everything that is good about the NYPD. This is his first mistake but I have to admit that it might be a fatal one." He said and Betty could hear the kind of worry in his voice that one might have for a friend. But he quickly pulled himself together and looked at them. "Which is why I wanted to talk to the two of you. Everybody is talking about what happened on the street and what might happen next but I think what's really important is how it happened. How and why did Spider-man got involved?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Betty asked. "As you said, the police was desperate and Spider-man was someone who had fought with both the Shocker and Rhino before."

"Wait!" Ned shouted. "Spider-man fought the Shocker before!? When?" _Oh shit, that's not public knowledge._

"Around a week and a half ago at an abandoned theatre." Mr. Ulrich said, causing Betty's eyes to open wide. "Apart from a half-high shopkeeper, there weren't any witnesses and officially the theatre simply collapsed due to bad maintenance but there were reports of unusual seismic activity. The same kind that happened when the Shocker helped the Rhino escape after his attack on the police headquarters." He explained, then looked at Betty. "I see you've connected the dots too, Ms. Brant. Well done." He said while he sent her a meaningful look. _He so knows! But why does he cover for me?_ While she pondered this question, Ned started to grumble under his breath.

"Dammit! I was the one who investigated that. How could I not see it?" He said dejected. It also probably hurt him that his colleagues knew more about the activities of his cherished hero. _If only he knew…_

"Thank you, sir." Said Betty, remembering that she was just praised (warned) by Ben Ulrich. He just stared back at him, before giving a slight nod then continuing his speech.

"But these are just speculations for the why and they clearly don't explain the how." While he said that, he put on his Anthony Eden hat, a piece that looked old enough to be from the era when it was still fashionable among journalists. Now it was mostly used by hipsters… and Ben Ulrich. He liked to do things the old fashioned way, as evidenced by his next sentence. "So I thought we could head out and ask from the source. Who knows, we might get lucky."

* * *

"You know, I think you got lucky. Living with him, I mean. Puts you in an advantage." Said MJ, between sips of her coffee. She had called Gwen during the day (she had yet to reveal how she got her number) and invited her to Starbucks for the afternoon. By some unexplained miracle, Gwen accepted it, in the condition that they wouldn't stay there, so she would get to smoke a bit. MJ agreed to it, which brought them to now, walking in the Central Park.

"Can we talk about something else, please? I'm starting to feel like the Bechdel test was written about us." Said Gwen, while she struggled to light her cigarette. It was hard with a cup of hot black Americano in her other hand. Mary Jane, who ordered something called 'Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino' (it sounds disgusting, but MJ honestly swears that it's good), watched as she tried and failed multiple times and when Gwen dropped the lighter she quickly crouched down, picked it up.

"Something on your mind?" She asked while holding the lighter towards the cigarette, imitating a classic bartender. Gwen rolled her eyes, then accepted it and finally managed to take a long drag after nearly a week. It was as shitty as she remembered.

"Actually, yes." She said, letting out the smoke. She had the urge to cough but managed to withhold it. "Since you already stick your nose so much in my private life, how about I do the same?" She asked, then took another drag. "Tell me about yourself!" Gwen said, then let out the smoke through her nose. It made her eyes watery but she still forced herself to look into MJ's emerald ones. She stared back, a little surprised but eventually just shrugged her shoulders and started to talk.

"Okay" She started with a light tone, which she continued to use. "Hmm, let's see… I guess I could talk about the modeling but I tell everyone about that who asks about me and I think you want something else. So… I think I'm gonna tell you about my abusive father. Well, not physically to me, just verbally, since his sister told him that as soon as he lays a finger on me she's gonna call child protection. So, he settles with constantly beating my mother in a way that doesn't leave marks. I usually hear her cries from my room which makes it hard to sleep so I sometimes wonder laying awake if this is gonna be the night my father finally…"

"STOP!" Gwen shouted. She would have done it sooner but she needed time to process what she was talking about. "How… how can you… I mean, what the fuck, MJ? You… You're talking about this, like… like… I don't even know, like you're describing your breakfast and not your…"

"Bacon and eggs, lots of them with a few pancakes cooked in the remaining fat afterwards." She interrupted with a mischievous smile. Gwen could barely do anything, besides gaping like fish. She even dropped her cigarette.

"I don't give a fuck about your breakf… Wait, seriously? And you still look this good?" She asked, then immediately reprimanded herself for getting distracted.

"Aw! Thank you!" Said Mary Jane with a shy expression, which she immediately ruined by winking at her. _I hate her!_

"No! You don't get off this easily. You do know who my dad is, right? We have some trouble talking but it's just a call…"

"Don't!" She said, interrupting her again. Her light tone changed to a more serious one. When she saw that Gwen wanted to argue, she raised her hand to stop her. "Look, when I was fourteen I called the police and accused him with domestic abuse. But he has some friends who have the cops in their pocket so they smoothed it over for him."

"Yeah, but my dad…" Gwen started but MJ cut in with a hint of irritation.

"Could you let me finish?" Then her expression softened as she look back a Gwen. "Please." She waited until Gwen nodded (a little uncertainly), then she took a deep breath and let it out, reverting to a calm tone. "Although his friends helped, my father isn't high enough in their games so they didn't throw the case out the window all together, only softened the blow. What really helped was the fact that my mother denied the claims too."

"What?"

"Yeah, she was a real actress there, saying that she didn't know where I got the idea from and literally begged them to let my father come back home. The lack of bruises finally convinced the police and they simply chalked it up as an angry teenage girl trying to show it to her father. I thought what you're probably thinking right now, that maybe my mother was threatened or it's some form of Stockholm syndrome or something like that. I was still thinking of a way the help her when, the same night, she came to my room with bloodshot eyes, bruises and a broken nose. It was the most brutal state I've ever seen her in. I could tell that she was furious by the way she kept clenching her fists. But I only understood who she was angry at after she spoke. She told me, among other things, that I was a disgusting whore for what I did to my own father… And she also said that if I ever pull a stunt like that she will slit her own throat and her blood will be on my hands. Then she left the room and went back to bed with the same man who beat her bloody. After that night, I stopped caring. So you shouldn't care either." She finished with the same calmness as she started with. As if she was telling a story completely unrelated to her. Gwen remained speechless for minutes before the silence turned too uncomfortable.

"MJ, I… I don't know what to say." She mumbled. Mary Jane just sent her a reassuring smile. It made Gwen want to hug her.

"That very look is why I haven't told anyone about this before. Not Aunt Anna and not Peter." She said while her reassuring smile turned to a wry one. "I think they'd just try and try to rescue me until they made some big mistake and then this whole mess would become bigger than it needs to be. So I'm just gonna wait until I turn eighteen and then I'll move to Anna's home. Unlike my parents, she supports my modeling so I'll be able make a living for myself. This way, I won't be a freeloader. Though, I don't think she'd mind but… Oh, I got lost in thought. Sorry."

"No, don't be, rather… if you want to continue…" Gwen muttered, still a bit fazed. MJ just smiled a little, as always, and shook her head. Gwen stared at her in disbelief, then took out her box of smoke and offered her one. Seeing that, MJ let out a belly laugh.

"No, no thank you. I have other ways to deal with my problems." She said, still giggling as a grateful smile spread across her face. Gwen arched an eyebrow, then shrugged and took out one for herself. She waited until she managed to light it herself before asking.

"Was Peter one of your ways?" Her tone suggested more of curiosity then accusation. MJ froze for a bit and her face became guarded.

"Peter ahm… no, not really… it was ahm… we were just having fun. But I can have fun in other ways too so don't worry! I'll keep my promise." She said looking at Gwen uncertainly. _One could forget how composed she was before while talking about something so horrible. It's as if she thinks Peter and I are more important than she is._

"Relax, I trust you." _I think that's the first time I said those words._ "So, don't feel awkward for talking about that to me. Or anything." She thought for a moment. "Just don't overdo it." She added, half-jokingly. MJ flashed a brilliant smile and nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry. I won't." She said, then she turned a little shy, which seemed completely genuine. "And… thank you." She murmured, then reverted to how she was before. "Wow, this was my fist heart-to-heart with a girl my age. It was nice. I wonder why I never tried it before."

"Well, you couldn't. Everyone hates you because you can literally eat ice cream made of fat and still be more gorgeous then all of us combined." Gwen said dryly.

"You know, most ice creams ARE made of fat." MJ said mischievously.

"Oh, look, a random person! I'm gonna talk to him instead." Gwen said, then started to fasten her pace. MJ giggled while grabbing her right arm and lightly pulling her back.

"Oh, come on! You hate everyone, anyway. So what's the difference?" She said with sparkling eyes.

"Hmm, fair enough." Gwen agreed, then rolled her eyes. They walked and talked for a while after that. By the end of it, Gwen realized that she managed to feel the sort of familiarity that she haven't ever felt before in her entire life. It was almost as if she thought of Mary Jane as a friend. _Just who the hell are you, Gwen Stacy?_

But, along with these thoughts came some other, more disturbing ones. She could not get the things MJ said out of her head. She tried to take her advice and not worry about it but she realized that she couldn't. She wanted to help her. But she knew that Mary Jane wouldn't want that. Her comment about why not telling anyone about this before must have been a hidden warning (or more likely a plead). Acting despite that would be a real asshole thing to do. _Oh, that's who you are!_

"Listen, MJ." Gwen said seriously when they were about to separate. "About what you told me… I'm not gonna do anything about it. I won't tell my dad or Peter or anyone and I'll leave you alone with it… As long as I think that it doesn't affect you any worse than it already has!" She finished, her tone hardening in the end.

"Gwen…" MJ started pleadingly but Gwen cut her off.

"As soon as that happens, I'm having my dad storm your house if necessary. I will do it, no matter the consequences." She declared, her voice carrying a certain finality with it. MJ stared at her before suddenly her eyes widened. She understood. She couldn't do it because she couldn't live with having her own mother's blood on her hands. But Gwen had no such problems. She would take the blame away from Mary Jane. _So, I hate my own mother so much that I'd be okay with a similar woman killing herself? Huh, good to know!_

* * *

"If you want to interview people that are hard to find, it's best to know where they usually eat." Said Ben Ulrich as they walked in a midtown sandwich shop. "Or at least, that's what experience thought me."

It was a typical old-school American sandwich shop with bar stools near the counter and multiple booths by the wall. The air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread, which Betty always thought that it smelled like heaven might. She could also hear and smell various kinds of meat being cooked on a stove, its constant sizzling giving the place a sort of Zen-like background noise. It made her really hungry. _Fucking diet…_

After they entered, she and Ned immediately started looking for their target, while Mr. Ulrich just casually walked forward, as if he already knew where he was heading. They decided to follow him. At the corner booth farthest from the entrance concealed by shadows sat a blond man, facing the door. He managed to look uninteresting and blend in so much that it even took Betty a few moments to realize who he was, despite having met him before personally. He was watching them intensely as they approached and as her gaze crossed his, those glacier eyes sent a chill down her spine. But he didn't seem to mind her so much as he did someone else.

"Ben, of all the story chasers out there I thought that at least you would have the dignity not to disturb me during my only stressless hour of the day." Said Captain Stacy with a sigh while he put down his half-eaten sandwich. Despite his words, he didn't seem angry at all. Ben Ulrich simply snorted and proceeded to sit down in front of the captain.

"George, you and I both know that you're always stressful. That's why your hair is so close to white." He replied and motioned Betty and Ned to take a seat. Since she was closer, Betty decided to sit next to Captain Stacy, while Ned sat opposite her.

"It's nice to see you again, Captain Stacy." Said Betty as a greeting. She was feeling rather awkward for having to sit next to him but she did her best to get over it.

"You too, Ms. Brant." He said, then turned towards Ned. "Mr. Leeds." He greeted him in the same professional manner. Ned's eyes went wide for a moment before he bowed his head a little in acknowledgement. From the corner of her eyes, Betty could see Ben Ulrich showing a small smile and lightly shaking his head. The captain was clearly showing off. Still, it was effective. Betty felt her shoulders tense up. He clearly didn't know her the first time they met but by now he even knew one of her colleagues. _He investigated me!_ She looked at him, only to find his glacier eyes piercing into her. _Well… message received, Captain._

Ned seemed to have sensed something and was looking at her questioningly but she lightly waved her hand, signaling him that she would tell him later. He just shrugged acceptingly, but his eyes showed concern. Ben Ulrich smile widened and he seemed to have a hard time holding back a chuckle.

"The young ones are always so subtle, aren't they?" Said Captain Stacy to Ulrich with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Hmm. I don't think you're in a position to judge, though." Mr. Ulrich said teasingly while nodding. Captain Stacy's face immediately turned back to a more guarded one. Even Betty wasn't sure if her superior was talking about the captain's earlier 'greeting' or the events that happened yesterday. Though if it's Ben Ulrich, it's probably both. _A conversation segue… and how subtle was that?_

But just as Captain Stacy was about to answer, a waitress arrived to their table with a joyful smile.

"Good Afternoon! May I take your order?" She asked cheerfully, completely disregarding the mood of the table. Or maybe she just didn't notice but then Betty would seriously worry about her social skills. She handed out laminated menus that showed various kinds of delicious sounding sandwiches. Even reading their names made Betty's stomach growl. She couldn't help but let out a sigh. _Fucking diet._

"Just a caesar salad for me." She said dejectedly, then looked up to see Ned having a frozen smile on his face. She glanced down and saw that his finger was next to something called 'Natural Born Carnivore' which contained ham, bacon, brisket, cheese… and probably a lot more but Betty stopped reading at this point. It was one of those 'knowledge is too much power' situations.

"Uhm… well…" He mumbled and glanced at Betty questioningly, then looked at the menu again to search for something else. From beside him, Ben Ulrich chuckled which he tried to cover up with a cough. Poorly. The waitress looked at Ned with a knowing smirk and even Captain Stacy showed a small smile. Betty just felt embarrassed. _Oh, come on! Do you know me as someone who'd bite your head off for this!?_ If anything, this pissed her off more. She tried to get his attention by kicking his shin gently (semi-gently) under the table, hoping that he would get the message. But Ned discarded their subtle form of communication by signaling her to wait with his finger in front of everyone. This caused the waitress to burst out laughing, though she put in more effort, then Ulrich, to cover it up after. Betty was preparing to kick Ned (or at this point anyone) again when she saw him suck in a deep breath, then looked up at the waitress with big hopeful eyes. "This…" his mouth dried up so he had to lick his lips to continue. "This Oreo cheesecake is only available for birthdays?"

"Uh…" The waitress started, a little taken aback. "Well no, not necessarily but it's family sized…"

"One of those, please!" interrupted Ned and handed her back the menu. The waitress blinked a couple of times, then shook her head, took the menu and looked at Ben Ulrich.

"Just coffee for me, thank you. Black." He answered the unasked question.

"Coming right up!" She nodded, took the menus, glanced at Betty and Ned with a huge smirk on her face one last time before going back. _Guess who's not getting tipped today._ While she was still fuming over something so unimportant (yes, she knew) Captain Stacy let out a huge sigh and looked Ben straight in the eye.

"You're not going to let me off on this one, are you?" He asked but it sounded like a poetic question.

"Look George, if I were only after some flashy headline I wouldn't be here." Ulrich said in a gentle tone. "I have more than enough people who would tell me everything I needed for that. But I'm here to help you. The blowback you're getting now is only the beginning if something's not done about it. I have seen professional catastrophes like this. Shedding a little light on a few things could greatly lessen the damage. Hell, I shouldn't even be explaining this to you since you already know all of this. So please, don't be so grim and just tell me what I need." By the end, Captain Stacy looked deep in thought, grinding his teeth. The sound was getting so loud that Betty started worry about his dental health before he finally exhaled sharply through his nose and looked up at Ulrich

"What do you need?" He asked with resignation. Ben Ulrich gave a thankful nod but before he could speak, Captain Stacy held up his hand. "I appreciate what you're doing but I won't reveal information that is still critical to ongoing investigations. Not even if it lessens the blow." He said sternly. The journalist just chuckled.

"I can work with bits and pieces." He said. It might have sounded a bit arrogant but then again, he had two Pulitzers and decades of experience. Saying any less would be just false modesty. "So, first of all, how did Spider-man contact you?" He asked, his face changing instantly to perfect professionalism. Captain Stacy frowned a little while Betty and Ned glanced at each other. She had no idea if her superior just assumed that it was Spider-man who sought help and not the other way around or if he had someone on the inside who had already revealed as much. Both was very possible with him. Evidently Captain Stacy came to the same conclusion too, because his frown deepened. Betty gave him a sympathetic look. _Yeah, I know how you feel. Though, at least in my case, he was a little more open about it._

"He stuck a piece of paper to my car's window." Said the captain finally, still a little frustrated. Then he glanced around, reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded photo which showed a white sheet of paper that had a few sentences written on it… and the drawing of a saluting spider. He put it on the table so everyone could read it, then leaned back attentively. The letter read:

"Captain, oh Captain! It's a me, Spider-man! Though I am a big fan, sadly this isn't a fan letter but a serous one (this pun works better if you read it out loud). By now, you've probably heard about the hostage crisis of the morning. Well, I'm afraid that was only the beginning and something else is going to happen soon. You guys should stay alert and prepare your big guns! When the time comes I'm going to use an annoying air horn. You can stop it by either attacking me or the bad guys (I'd prefer the latter). Help me, Captain Stacy. You're my only hope.

P.S. This message will NOT self-destruct in five seconds! (It's a piece of paper.)"

After reading it, pretty much everyone had the same dumbfounded expression, even Ben Ulrich. Betty, despite knowing very well from personal experience how juvenile the hero could be sometimes, could still hardly believe that he actually chose to warn the police like that. _At this point, I can't help but wonder… Are you insane, Spider-man!?_ Seeing their faces, Captain Stacy nodded with satisfaction.

"There were no fingerprints or other remarkable features aside from the drawing and the… unique writing style." He started, then let out weak laugh, shaking his head. "The funny thing is that if it weren't for that, we'd have probably dismissed it as a ruse." He said with a hint of appreciation in his voice. Betty frowned. She hadn't thought of it that way. _It sure has your characteristic. I doubt anyone else would send something like that… You rather might actually be genius._ She glanced at the photo, again. _…The jury is still out._

"Is that a Star Wars reference at the end?" Asked Ned, his voice carrying a sort of fanboyish enthusiasm.

"Most likely." The captain said. He seemed happy about being compared to Obi Wan.

"Those hostage…" Betty started, trying to stir to conversation back towards a more important topic. "How were they related to the Shocker and the Rhino?" She asked, and not just for the sake of the story. This might be good opportunity to help her secret friend out. Captain Stacy frowned at her and hesitated. They were most likely still investigating that one. "They don't strike me as someone who would hire henchmen to take hostages."

"They didn't." Said Ben Ulrich "They are the henchmen. At least, from what I've read about him, Alex O'Hirn never was a proper candidate for a leading position in the outlet." When he heard the name, Captain Stacy froze. Betty didn't know who that guy was but she figured it must be the Rhino. _This could be helpful._ She also wondered how the hell did Mr. Ulrich got his name but at this point she just started to give up on that question. But apparently Captain Stacy didn't as he narrowed his eyes and stared intensely at his friend, who just looked back at him calmly before speaking again. "Did he survive?"

"Yes." Came the immediate answer from the blond man, as if he was expecting it already. Ned and Betty looked at each other a bit clueless. It seemed the content of the conversation went beyond their knowledge. Evidently, Ben Ulrich took pity on them because he followed it up with some clarification.

"It seems someone activated a failsafe device inside Mr. O'Hirn that made his body unable to bear his own mass." He explained. "It appears that they don't want him to reveal anything. Fortunately, the medical team managed to create a makeshift respiratory device before it was too late. It didn't restore his body functions to normal but theoretically it should be enough to save his life. Or so I've heard." He finished in the same teacher-like tone he had started with, his gaze never moving away from Captain Stacy, who maintained his hard, icy glare but shot it towards the center of the table, by now.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." Snarled the captain through clenched teeth. What was just revealed sounded like highly classified information and the fact that it was so easily leaked, within just one day, must have made him really angry. It meant that his most trusted circle was anything but trustworthy. And if a reporter could get this information, then so could someone with much more authority. _It's a warning!_ Betty realized. _Just like he warned me… though this might have been a bit more subtle._

"Well, if it's true, then it's very alarming." Ulrich continued, as if he haven't even paused. "A criminal organization that not only could get their hands on something like that but also regard it as disposable is very…" He paused, as if looking for the right word. _Terrifying!?_ Betty suggested in her head. "problematic."

"It also sound impossible." Captain Stacy countered and Betty had to wonder how much of his confidence in that statement was just an act based on hope. "Something this big would just draw attention to them, which is the last thing those kinds want. It would be all over the place. Nationwide!"

"Yet the media mostly focuses on you and Spider-man." Ben Ulrich continued unfazed by the retort. "So it's not only someone with a formidable financial background but also with considerable influence in the media." He said and gave a pointed look to the captain as if he already had someone in mind. The other just stared in front of himself for a minute and if she weren't sitting next to him, Betty probably wouldn't have noticed him shudder, just a little bit. But then he slowly shook his head and looked up.

"It's too careless." He said finally. "Something like that would only happen if some extreme change caused it. So far, there's been little out of the ordinary."

"Like a full frontal attack on One Police Plaza?" Mr. Ulrich asked with a sarcastic chuckle. "Or kidnapping a group of people without any ransom note sent out? Yes, hardly anything unusual." Captain Stacy clenched his fists and started grinding his teeth but didn't say thing. After a few moments, Ben continued. "Though… given their influence I find it hard to believe that these attacks were really aimed at the police. As you said, it would mostly just attract the attention." He said and stared intently. The captain frowned.

"You think they want Spider-man?" He asked, a bit bewildered.

"Maybe." Came the answer calmly. "Or maybe not. Lot of unusual things have been popping up lately." He paused and sighed "But sadly, theories must be proven, according to science." All three of them frowned at his odd choice of words. But they didn't get to ask because the waitress came back with a cup of coffee.

"Here you go, sir!" She said cheerfully. _Seriously girl, read the mood!_

"Thank you." Mr. Ulrich said and took it but before he could sip he stopped and looked at the waitress. "I've never seen you here before, Miss…"

"Melissa" The waitress introduced herself. "Yeah, I've just started working here. It's better than student loans."

"Ah. Where do you study, if I may ask?"

"Empire State University" The girl said proudly. "I've just started my medical studies!" It seemed she was really eager to tell anyone about this. _Her poor friends, must be hard for them._

"Really?" Mr. Ulrich asked and Betty noted that he didn't seem surprised about it at all. She suddenly got a lot more interested in their conversation. "I saw a documentary about one of the professors there. Doctors with disabilities, I think."

"Oh yeah, Doctor Connors." Said Melissa nodding her continuously. "Yeah, he's really good, I hear. He's been absent for the past few weeks, so I didn't really have any class with him. But I heard he came back so, you know, fingers crossed." She turned to her right and when she saw some new costumers sitting down, she quickly mumbled "Excuse me." then left.

"Poor girl." Said Ben Ulrich with a little shake of his head. "She's too eager to study even at her workplace." He said while inclining his head towards the counter where Betty could see three books and a bunch of notes along with a jacket that had three big letters, reading E S U, on its back. "She'll drive herself to her limit"

 _Damn, nothing escapes his attention._ Betty though, staring at him in awe. _I really hope I'll get to his level someday._ She wasn't the only one staring though, as she could see Captain Stacy's intense gaze on him, his glacier eyes now razor sharp.

"This, Doctor Connors…" He started but didn't continue, just left the sentence hanging.

"Hmm. Rather intelligent, even among his peers, according to what I read about him." Mr. Ulrich mused between two sips of coffee. "He could really help you with Mr. O'Hirn and how he got to be the way he is now. It's sort of his area of expertise. It really is a shame that he wasn't around exactly at time when these attacks happened." He said, his tone full of subtle hints. Then he sharply looked at the captain, his expression turning serious. "I heard that even his son was absent from his prep-school."

The captain's face twisted with anger, his fist clenching and unclenching. Then, he abruptly stood up, looked at Betty and said "Excuse me, I have to get back to work." She stood up and let him out of the booth. He gathered his jacket and took the photo back, then glanced at his reporter friend, his face showing a hint of gratefulness. "Sorry about the interview."

"No problem." He answered back, then drink the rest of his coffee. "I got what I wanted." The captain said his goodbyes, then left. Then, very soon after Ben Ulrich followed suite and Betty realized that she and Ned should have just ordered coffee, too. _Well, at least Ned gets to eat a bunch of cake._

"Wow, that was… Something." Said Ned, breaking the silence that followed the departures.

"Yeah, no kidding." Betty could only agree.

"You know what I don't get? Why the whole interview cover? Why not just tell him all those things straight?" He asked. Betty just shrugged.

"There were a few new things he got to know, this way. Like the letter or the fate of the Rhino." She guessed, then thought about it a bit more. "And he wanted to know how much Captain Stacy would reveal, in front of us. They seem to trust each other but not us… yet." She explained, while thinking about how guarded the captain was.

"Okay, then why bring us here in the first place?" Ned continued, evidently not yet convinced.

"Maybe he's trying to mentor us. Or he's showing the captain that he can trust us." She lied. She had a wildly different guess as to why they, or especially her, were brought. _He wants me to pass along what I've heard. Sorry Ned but you just got brought along for the ride._ Now she just had to figure out how to contact Spider-man.

 _How the hell should I contact her? I want to gloat!_ Thought Peter as he was swinging in the air, careful not to ever let his wounded arm carry all his weight. His wounds have healed considerably but he was still worried that the stitches wouldn't hold if he put too much pressure on them. Plus, they freaking hurt.

He was pretty sure that if it weren't for the help of Captain Stacy and literally half the police station, those two would have killed him. They would have rampaged until he arrived, causing countless casualties along the way, so he had no choice there. He had to confront them. Before asking for help, he entertained the idea of simply telling Captain Stacy about his secret identity but he decided that he'd only do that as a last resort. Instead he fulfilled his lifetime dream by playing the role of a Star Wars character… even if it was Princess Lea.

When they finally took down the Rhino, most of the tension left his body and finally, after a really long day of worrying he managed to calm himself a little bit. While the Shocker was a strong opponent, he could hardly be compared to the Rhino. He believed that that monstrosity was the peak of his worries. So, of course he had to meet something even more terrifying in the form of conscious sandstorm. _These memes are getting out of hand!_ He just hoped that he wouldn't have to fight a mummy. If he was going to have to fight horror movie villains from now on, his luck would certainly make sure that he accidently watched a tape that would kill him in seven days. _And we don't even have VHS anymore!_

But speaking of scary women, he still had to somehow deal with Silver Sable, who seemed to be the mastermind behind his troubles. Sadly, she didn't seem like the type who'd just give up. That's why he wanted to take the initiative. _I read that women like that._ But he had no idea how to do that so he just decided to head where he had received her first message in the form of sniper gunshots. _Chicks these days…_

The Parker-luck must have got tired yesterday and was still struggling to wake up because when he got to the rooftop, he found an older model of an Osberry placed in the middle of a spider symbol. He landed and immediately glanced around but couldn't find anything else suspicious. He slowly started to walk towards the phone.

Then suddenly the phone rang and his heart jumped so high up that it got all the way up to his mouth and Peter had to struggle to swallow it back. _Just like a freaking horror movie… if I had partners we would have probably split up by now._ He calmed himself and managed to convince himself that the shout he just gave out wasn't girlish at all (it took some effort) before walking over and picking up the damned thing. He put it to his left ear and glanced to the nearby buildings wearily.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying." He said to the phone as soon as he could. There was a long silence on the other end before finally he received an answer.

"And here I was hoping that yesterday's events have managed to make you more mature." Came the cold voice of Silver Sable with a sigh. "It seems I have overestimated your ability to grasp how serious your predicament is."

"Hehe, you said the word 'dick'."

"…"

"I mean, I know it's not written like that but it sounds…"

"I wouldn't be so proud of myself in your place." She interrupted, and the slight irritation in her tone made him smile.

"Easy to say from the loser side."

"It was mere battle in our war." She said confidently "I don't suppose you've read the Art of War from Sun Tzu." She paused and Peter could practically hear a cold smile form on her lips from her next words. "But you can probably find it in the library of your college campus."

Spider-man wasn't sure if he was being watched from somewhere but he made sure tense his body up as soon as he understood what she meant. It was good guess, honestly. Hell, it actually was much more plausible then reality itself. A high-school kid, no way. A teenager had tons of other problems to deal with. What moron would add crime fighting to all of those? _Khm._ Anyway, a college student was more likely as they had more free time and, as far as Peter heard, that was the time when most people thought about changing the world and not just fitting in. Lucky for him, he always was a weird kid. He just didn't know that one day he would actually be grateful for that fact. So he made sure to play along her assumption as much as possible.

"That defeat must sting more than I thought." He said in a tone, he hoped, would sound like someone who's acting like what he just heard didn't bother him at all. "Or are you just that afraid of me?"

"Hardly." She said with a cold laugh. "Why would I be afraid? You have proven that you are not only unable to take a life but also let a life be taken no matter who it might belong to, when you saved one of my man from gunfire. So, at this point, the very most I have to fear is that you capture me and hand me over to the police. And no matter how naïve an idealist you are, you must realize that they wouldn't keep me there more than seconds." She continued and Peter couldn't help to cold feeling that started to gather in his stomach. She was probably right. But two can play this game.

"Yeah, but you aren't the one I have to take out, are you?" He asked, changing his tone to a gloating one. The silence from the other end was basically music to his ears. "I mean, glancing over the fact that your own subordinates didn't know what to call you which suggests that your involvement with them is still relatively fresh, your whole personality just scream professional warrioress." He wasn't really sure that something like that existed but he damn well hoped it did. "It's quite illogical to cover your knives with anything but poison, so the fact that you did the means that you live by some code or regulation. Hardly the trait of a crime boss. It sounds more like one might find with someone from a religious sect or a cult. In your case, I would say a mercenary cult rather than an assassin. But it doesn't matter really because it means that my real enemy is someone who has yet reveal himself" He also assumed that the New York criminal world is sexist enough to not serve a 'herself'. "And I think he wants it to stay that way. And about that I can do something. But you are just a secondary enemy I have to deal with before the boss-fight. A simple nuisance. "He paused and filled his voice with mock. "A glorified thug."

"It's grave mistake to underestimate me." She snarled in the phone, and Peter could hear her heavy breathing. "You don't know how big of an obstacle I can be!"

"Popsicle?" He asked, deliberately trying to annoy her even more, then repeated in mock-growling voice. "'You don't know how big of a Popsicle I can be'" Then he couldn't keep it in and burst out laughing. After a while he could hear from the other side that Sable had managed calm herself down with some measured breathing.

"I have to admit, it has been a while since anyone managed to agitate me as much as you did."

"By the way, I'm totally calling you Popsicle from now on."

"… I'm going to enjoy killing you." She said in her regular cold tone.

"With this success rate? Knock yourself out."

"Oh, just because you managed to evade two of my attacks you think you're safe now?" She said, her voice becoming more sinister. _When you shot at me doesn't even count?_ "You have no idea about the resources I have in my disposal. So you can win a thousand battles and it doesn't make a difference but I only have to win the once and that is final." She finished then hung up the phone. Barely a second later his Spider-sense tingled and he quickly threw away the phone. It exploded mid-air, and while it wasn't too big it was more than enough to blow his head away had he not been fast enough. He looked around, his heart beating like jackhammer as he came to the sudden realization that she was right. _Oh shit. Three down, countless to go. Welcome to Paranoiworld._


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: This was originally supposed to be two chapters but is didn't where to cut it so you guys get a long one!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-man or any other character from Marvel.**

Chapter fifteen: Medication for fear

Using beating as a method of torture only works in the short term. As the leader of Hammerhead's Enforcers, Schultz had to learn that early on, if he wanted to get results. Of course, when it came to everyday civilians, it was different. Usually, just the threat of a beating was enough, though they often gave a few punches to let them know what to expect if they ever decide not to cooperate. But to the more experienced kind, beating isn't that big of an intimidation. Sure, it hurts and if one gets creative they can cause some serious damage but it's too messy and takes a lot of work. Plus, it leaves severe marks that are hard to hide though that's only a problem if the subject is intended to be left alive. If it's just a one-time information gathering, then it's okay to go all out but if someone's making a long-term investment, it's better to be bit more subtle about it.

Through the years, they've found that threatening loved ones or hurting already wounded places is more effective. The best method they'd discovered, however, was waterboarding. Those bigshots at the CIA must know a thing or two about this kind of stuff. Apart from bloodshot eyes, it barely leaves any trails and he had never met anyone who was able to take it for more than a few hours before breaking. So when their job demanded it, or when none of them had some overwhelming frustration to vent out (the exception was mostly O'Hirn), they used that method and as far as he knew, most of the other similar groups too. It's the most effective.

That is why he was really baffled about why he'd spent the last couple of days being beaten to a pulp. When he arrived back to the meeting point, already worn out, he was expecting some sort of punishment after a few rebukes. But their boss, Sable (according to Spider-man), just looked at him with eyes one might use when they feel a deep and cold fury for a cockroach, and then simply kicked him in the head. He saw it coming (sort of), but he was so tired that his reaction was way too slow to do anything, He passed out and the next thing he knew was that he was locked in a dark and cold basement, fully naked… except for a few bandages on his left arm, his shoulder now put back in place. That last part was really confusing but he decided not to fuss and just be grateful about it.

He'd considered his punishment rather light until five hooded hooligans barged in, led by a blond-dyed Latino, around his mid-twenties who might have been handsome a couple of nose breaks ago. He looked at Schultz with disdain then ordered his goons to start beating and kicking him. He tried to defend himself but he was still a little dozy and immensely outnumbered. They weren't methodical about it at all, just hitting and kicking wherever they could, like some mindless beasts. But their intelligence didn't really matter as long as they could cause damage and hurt him. And they did. A lot. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes before one of them kicked his wounded shoulder and he passed out, though it sure as hell felt like it was more. But unfortunately it wasn't over because their leader splashed him with ice-cold water and he suddenly woke up, shimmering and hurting everywhere. After that, they continued for god knows how long before they got tired, spit on him, and then simply left.

The next thing he remembered was that Sable came in. He tried to crawl away but there was barely any strength left in him. She put a bag down next to him, opened it and took out… a first aid kit. She cleaned his bruises with cotton wool and medical alcohol and bandaged his wounds. Then, she took out an injection that contained some kind of transparent liquid and Schultz instinctively tried to get away from her. But she grabbed his upper body, disturbingly gently, and placed it on her lap. She placed the needle to his left shoulder and tightened her grip on him when he started to struggle but it still wasn't hard enough to hurt him. She jammed it in and pushed the liquid into him and it felt… amazing.

He wasn't sure if it was morphine or some kind of other super-painkiller but he literally felt the pain melt away. He shuddered and let out a soft whimper. He hated that and he hated how grateful he was for her. She didn't stop there, however. She cleaned his face, reached into the bag again and took out a bottle of water. She lifted his head, his upper-body still supported by her lap, and helped him drink it. Then, she took out something that looked like it was mixed into liquid form and had him drink that too. It tasted vaguely like chicken. It must have been some extra nourishing thing. She stayed with him for a while, gently caressing his forehead. When he was getting tired, she softly put down his head from her lap and left. Schultz felt the urge to call out for her to stay and he'd honestly never ever hated himself as much as he did in that moment.

The next few days were spent in pretty much the same fashion. Except on the third or maybe fourth occasion (it got a bit confusing) ex-prettyboy got the idea that his humiliation wasn't enough so he decided to piss on him. Schultz gave him the name 'Deadboy' afterwards. By then, he started to doubt that he'd get his revenge on the Goblin or Spider-man but no matter the cost, he swore to kill that fucker. The only bright side of that incident was that they probably weren't aware of what Sable was doing to him after and most likely didn't tell her about it. When she put his head on her lap that time, he could barely stop himself from grinning madly. Though, his aching lips helped.

Sadly, he could hardly do anything the next few days for his revenge besides enduring and watching the floor getting dusty. Dustier and dustier. Always coming in from under the door, slowly but steadily. It somehow felt comforting and… familiar. _Like I'm back in the old days._ By the time he figured it out, he felt really ashamed that it took him so long. He felt a huge smile form on his face and, this time, he made no effort to stop it. He crawled a few feet away from where he lay, then sat up, opposite the door and started waiting for Deadboy and his gang to arrive, shimmering with anticipation. He thought of the torture and humiliation he had suffered during the past few days and his breathing quickened, both in anger and eagerness for sweet, sweet revenge. _And you fellows, are just the appetizers._

He wasn't sure how long he'd sat there but he was starting to get a little tired by the time the door finally opened. His instinctive reaction was to curve into a ball which made him clench his teeth in rage. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then raised his head and looked straight at Deadboy's smug face. He just now realized that his right eye was so swollen that he couldn't even open it.

"Whatever." He mumbled, his voice coming out dry from his throat. "I can enjoy your death with half an eye, too."

"Hmm? What was that, asshole?" Deadboy asked in a conceited tone. "You want some of my juice again? 'Cause I've been keeping it just for you." He said, then laughed in a typical 'hehe' goon fashion, his lackeys joining him short after, making the cliché that much worse. _Jesus, I really hope we were never that lame._

"Peopl…" He tried to speak but started coughing mid-word, a heavy wet cough and he started to feel a certain metallic taste in his mouth, not long after. Schultz urged himself to ignore that and continue but his chance was stolen.

"What makes you so chatty all of a sudden, huh? "Deadboy asked, then signaled his men to approach Schultz. "Don't you know it just gets you into more trouble?"

"People wet themselves just before they die. Did you know that?" Schultz rasped, spit a little blood on the floor, then continued. "I guess that's not your gravest mistake ever but… you really shouldn't have kept it in. It's gonna get really messy." His mouth curved into a toothy grin, blood shining on his white teeth. "Isn't that right, Flint?"

The man closest to Schultz suddenly got grabbed by something and pulled into the dark corners of the room. The only source of light was the open door, so the human sized sand dune in the corner was entirely concealed by the darkness from the intruders. Before the others could react, the missing person was swiftly thrown back, knocking down another. Panic erupted on their faces as they tried to look for an assailant but, obviously, couldn't find any. At least, not in human form. Showing his true courage, Deadboy quickly stepped out of the room and abruptly closed the door, locking it tight. Though Schultz could barely see anything anymore, he could tell how frightened the left-behind goons were from the way they started to scream. It wasn't the fake kind, like one can hear in movies. No, it was almost inhuman, like it was coming from some unknown animal rather than a human. The screams of true terror.

They gathered in front of the door, smashing it with their fists while calling for help, which would never come but they probably refused to believe that. _People always do that. Why? They run, even though they there's nowhere to run. They always think that some sort of help is on the way. Why? Why? Why? I don't get it. I didn't, no matter how desperate I was… Even though, for me, help actually came… Huh, maybe that's the trick._ Schultz thought while he struggled to stand up. He managed but his balance was wavering as he took a shaky step forward. The goons must have seen better then Schultz because they turned around, wide eyed and stared at him.

"Stop! Stop whatever you're doin', man! I'm serious!" One of them shouted. He was closest to the door. Schultz just took another wobbly step. "Hey, stay right there, you hear me!? Don't you come any closer! You take on more step and you're dead!"

"Sure, that's why you beg me." Rasped Schultz as he took another step. Then another. The gang was pushed together so much that Schultz would've had trouble counting their numbers if not for the faint light coming in from under the door, making their wide eyes shine. Apparently, the other realized how futile his threats were on Schultz because he changed tactics.

"If…" His voice shook, so he stopped to steady it while Schultz came one step closer. "Hey! Hold on! Hold on! If we don't make it out of here alive, then she gets it, alright!? You hear me!? That girl. Your friend's daughter! She dies!" He all but screamed now. When he finished, Schultz stopped and just stared at him. He seemed to gain confidence from that and puffed himself up, as if the situation was never out of his control. Then Schultz simply burst out laughing. He just laughed from the bottom of his belly and even though it hurt like hell, he couldn't care less. He just had to laugh. It has been so long since he really could. It felt like a mark for the end of an era.

From the dark corners of the room, a vague swirling motion appeared, triggered by the mention of the girl. But even more terrifying was the sound of the moving sand, like hundreds of angry rattlesnakes, loud enough to overshadow Schultz' mad laughter. And the meaning was the same with the snakes. It meant danger.

The lackeys turned back toward the door, banging with all their might, their mouths opening to cry for help. It proved fatal. Strings of sand, the size of fists moved down each of their throats in a fluid motion, sealing their trachea entirely. Their screams stopped with absolute fatality as they started trashing around, hopelessly crawling at their necks. In the dark room, Schultz could rather hear them choke to death, than see it but it was enough for him. He only wanted to see one of them suffer, and he wanted him to die from his own hands. He wouldn't give him to anyone.

It took a while before his friend could open the tightly locked door, moving the grains of sand fast enough back and forth to cut through steel. When Schultz finally stepped out of the room, he had to shield his eyes from the sunlight that shined through a window. But it didn't bother him, rather he bathed in the feeling as the light touched his bruised skin. It was a wonderfully sunny day. _A perfect day to kill!_

* * *

"You know what's perfect? This sandwich." Said Gwen after swallowing a mouthful of it. She and Peter were eating outside, sitting on an outdoor lunch table, opposite each other. Gwen, of course, was talking about the sandwiches May had packed for the both of them. It was nothing special, really but had just the right amount of everything it needed. Gwen had found out during the last few days that she was a real genius when it came to food. Though, so was her dad for that matter but he barely had time to make anything, always busy with work. She shook her head at that thought, trying hard to erase it. It would just spoil the moment. Instead she looked at Peter, who barely touched his food. He seemed really tense and kept glancing left and right, as if expecting something terrifying to jump them at any moment. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her suddenly, obviously having no idea what she was previously talking about. "Oh… Sorry, I was just…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It was nothing important, anyway." She interrupted with a shrug. It had hurt a little that he wasn't paying any attention to her but she tried not to be petty about it. Instead, she tried to copy what MJ did for her and did her best to be helpful. "So, what's with you? You look all shaken up."

"What!? No, no… I mean… no." _Really, that's what you meant?_ "I'm just a little… ahm… you know…" _No, I actually don't know, that's why I asked!... Or do I?_

"Is this about what happened a week ago?" She asked, causing his gaze to become puzzled. "At the police headquarters, I mean." His expression turned guarded, which Gwen took as a yes. "You know… it's okay to feel like that. I mean, it was quite traumatic, being so close to… dying and all that. So, if you feel like it… you can talk to me about it. I get it how scary it can be." She said a little uncertainly. Honestly, she had a few nightmares since then but she had a hard time talking to anyone about it. So she convinced herself that she could deal with it on her own. But if it could help Peter get through his problems, then what the hell.

"Of course." Sighed Peter in realization, slowly massaging his forehead. "Of course you do. Sorry, I was so caught up with my own problems that it hadn't even occurred to me how much harder it must have been for."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" She asked angrily, causing him to lean a little away from her.

"No-nothing, it's just that you said it was really traumatic and all that."

"Yeah, for you. Because you're a wimp, so it's understandable."

"Wow, thanks. But didn't you just say that you get it how it is?" He asked, his tone carrying a friendly tease. "Doesn't that mean you're also a…" He couldn't finish because Gwen raised her right foot, with her heavy boots, put it on the bench between his legs, barely an inch from his crotch and glared at him threateningly.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. What were you going to say?" She asked with a menacing tone which made Peter gulp. Literally, gulp with a big sound and everything.

"Ahm… I… I meant to say that you're ah… so nice and beautiful and… so brave." He mumbled. Even if it was just during them playing, Gwen's heartbeat quickened when he called her beautiful. It was probably the first compliment he had ever given her. _Wow, and I only had to threaten him._

"Good." She said simply and put her leg down. "But seriously, if you want to talk about what's wrong, I can listen." She continued, changing to a gentler tone. "It won't hurt." She added and when Peter seemed to want to comment on that, she quickly followed it up. "IF we're talking about you." He chuckled at that, then looked at the table, deep in thought before finally letting out a deep sigh.

"It's just…" He started in a tired voice. "It's not that I'm scared but rather I feel paranoid. Like, there's danger at every corner, disguised as something else and I have to be alert all the time and it's just… too much, I guess. I can't be prepared for everything and I can't rely on luck all the time either so I have no idea what to do. And it's not like I'm scarred for my life. I mean, sure, I don't want to die but I've been familiar with death since I was little so my own doesn't scare me that much." Gwen nearly slapped him for that but she restrained herself by clenching her hands into fists and digging her nails into her palm. "But what about Aunt May, hm? I can't do that to her. She's been through way too much. Especially with how recent Uncle Ben's… So yeah, I don't want to put her through that again. It's scary and I don't know what to do." He finished and he sounded truly concerned.

"Well, for starters, how about spending more time with her?" She said after a few moments of silence. "I mean, during this week and a half I've been there, you were barely at home. I'm not being judgmental here or anything but if it's really how you feel then maybe you could, you know, be around once in a while instead of doing whatever it is you're doing." She hesitated then added in a lower voice. "It sucks when someone you need isn't around."

"I… I'm never around, am I?" He said in shocked realization. "Ever since… I've been going out and out, being… but for the one who needed me the most I'm never there. But then… how am I supposed to…" He didn't finish. He just looked… lost. It made Gwen feel the urge to hug him.

"Hey, don't eat yourself up over it, okay?" She said quickly, really uncertain what to say. "I'm sure she's not mad and I think she understands. That you need time to… get used to how things are now. So don't get too worked up, okay? Just, I don't know, do something with her once in a while, like something you used to do when… when you were all together. I'm sure she would love it. And… I'm sure she loves you." Gwen finished and even she found her words surprising. _If I could talk to my dad like that, my life would be so much simpler._ Peter just stared in front of himself for a long time after that. Then, he finally looked up, his deep brown eyes meeting hers.

"Gwen." He said in barely a whisper. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me all of this. Seriously." His voice was filled with vulnerability but his gaze was strong and Gwen felt that unique raw power that he seem to emit from time to time. She felt her cheeks get flushed so she tried to cover by changing the subject.

"It's okay." She said, her voice a little higher pitched which was really frustrating. "I kinda blackmailed you into helping me break into my dad's office so it was the least I could do." She suddenly got an idea. "Speaking of which, I've never properly thanked you for saving me that time." Peter's head snapped back at that, as if hit by something. _He's probably surprised I'm able to say the word 'thank you'… though I didn't think it would be this shocking._ "Well, you and Spider-man, I guess, but I can hardly thank him, right?"

"Yeah." He drawled, with a sly look and a mysterious smile appearing on his face. _Why is he acting weird? Wait… Is he… is he trying to flirt!? Did he catch on to what I'm about to ask him!? Okay, Gwen just stay calm, just STAY CALM! You're not one of those girls who gets all worked up because of stuff like this. No reason to freak out._ She completely ignored the fact that this was the first time something like this has happened to her… and how untrue it was.

"Soo…" She stopped to lick her suddenly dried up lips and to steady her somehow shaky voice. "How about we get some dinner? My treat!" She blurted out, a little too fast for her taste but at least it was really liberating. She felt relieved for finally doing it, even if it was not-so-subtly wrapped in a pretense. She belatedly realized that her heart has been hammering since she came up with the idea and now it was beating unbearably fast as she waited in anticipation.

"Nah, it's okay. I was glad to help." Peter said with a shrug. And then started munching on his sandwich. He just ate. In his usual expression. Like nothing happened. Meanwhile, Gwen felt… angry? Shocked? Nervous? Confused? A little nauseous? Probably, all of those and more. After a few seconds she somewhat pulled herself together and started to think. _Was I just rejected? Or there's a misunderstanding somewhere?_ She needed to find out. But before she could ask she realized that Peter had stopped eating was studying her. "Look, if you're feeling indebted, then don't. It was nothing, really. Besides, those things you just said to me were more than enough compensation. So don't worry."

"…Oh." Was all she could master to say while she tried to think peaceful thoughts. _… Peter, you stupid fucking idiot! How could you be so fucking dense!? Aren't you supposed to be top of our freaking class!? Do I really have to spell it out for you!? How!? How!? How!? How are you this fucking stupid!?_ "…okay."

"Okay, time out!" Peter suddenly said, his hands forming a 'T' shape. "What did I miss? I missed something, right? I'm sorry, it's just that I don't really know how to… people."

"…what?" Gwen asked, feeling totally confused. Even though her head was still in turmoil she was pretty sure that what Peter said didn't make much sense. Until she realized that he was looking at a certain direction. She started to turn her head to see who he was looking at but didn't need to bother because her eardrums were stabbed with huge needles. Or at least, it sure as hell felt like it.

"PETEY!" Shrieked Liz like the evil b… witch she was. It appeared that barely even a month of cheerleading can make a person no better than a siren. Not that there was much hope for her anyway… In all honesty, Gwen used to have no problem with Liz. They barely ever met, let alone talked which was perfectly suitable for her. And, unlike her best friend, Sally, she wasn't an obnoxious attention seeker.

But all of that stopped to matter for Gwen after one tiny fact. Liz was, without a doubt, attracted to Peter. And not just in a 'finds his body or personality slightly eye-catching' way, no she really seemed enticed with him. Even worse, she didn't even try to downplay it, making it painfully obvious to everyone around them, even her boyfriend. Well, maybe with the very possible exception of the target himself if his recently displayed social awareness was any indication. _Silver linings, Gwen!_

So one can easily imagine how bad the blonde's mood turned when she saw Liz approaching, with her aforementioned best friend in toe, who at least seemed to feel the same amount of dissatisfaction as she did, only for the completely opposite reason. From their group, only Liz liked to associate with Peter. Even so, Sally only seemed a few moments from grabbing her friend's top and dragging her away. _I'd buy you a chocolate if you did!_

"Oh, hi Liz! …Sally." Peter greeted them a bit stiff, probably sensing the enmity from Sally. _So that you can understand!?_ "What put you in such a good mood?"

"You!" Liz exclaimed with a teasing smile, causing the two blondes to freeze up and then frown at her at the same time. Peter just had a really confused expression.

"H-how come?" He asked, stammering. Liz laughed while she hopped down next him on the bench. Awfully close, which made Sally glare even more. Gwen might have had the same reaction

"Oh, Petey! Do I need to spell it out for you?" She asked, her teasing smile widening and turning into a grin. _In his case, you might literally have to._ Gwen thought scornfully while she started to feel her stomach twist with anger and… jealousy. Deep and awfully strong jealousy. It made her feel like a teenage girl. She hated it.

"Hey Liz, it's not like I don't like to see nerds get all confused but could you move it along? I haven't got all day, you know?" Said Sally in a sort of scornful bitchy voice that Gwen seriously thought only existed in the movies. Liz shot her a narrowed glare before turning back, opening her pack and taking out a paper.

"Tomorrow, there'll be an open day at Empire State University. I wasn't going to go because I thought there was no way I could get in. But now, it might actually be possible! And it's all thanks to you!" She explained while holding the E.S.U. flier like it was already her approved admission. Peter's eyes cleared and he showed a small smile that was almost teacher-like.

"I don't remember writing your tests." He said, then paused and added. "Actually, I don't remember writing my own either but that's a different story."

"Yeah but that's not the hardest part, at least for me. It's studying and you definitely helped me with that." Liz said her tone turning bashful.

"By sitting next to you in an awkward silence doing nothing? Okay, if that helps… then you should probably get some help." He replied jovially and Liz burst out laughing. And she was doing it way too hard, barely even catching her breath. _Okay, now please kindly choke to death._ Sadly, she didn't. But she did glance at Peter with upturned eyes and a coquettish grin which made Gwen's blood boil. Fortunately, the receiver of these annoying actions didn't seem to get it as he just showed a friendly smile. Even after Liz slightly leaned forward to give a better showcase of her ( _infuriatingly)_ impressive cleavage. At that point, Gwen had to wonder if Peter was playing for the other team.

"Anyway," Continued the Latino girl, seemingly unfazed by the others lack of response. "if you'd like, you can come with us tomorrow." The look of horror Sally showed at that statement was so hilarious that it almost managed to elevate Gwen's mood. Almost.

"Ahm…" drawled Peter uncertainly.

"We were already there last year." Gwen spoke up for the first time since the other two arrived. "And, according to their website, there isn't anything new this year. So there's no reason for us to go there again. That's what Peter didn't say because he's trying to be nice about it." Being condescending wasn't something she was used to but, at that point she couldn't care less.

"…Oh, Gwen. Sorry for ignoring you all this time. I just thought that you'd prefer it that way." Liz said with a slight narrowing of her eyes. Then she shifted her position, getting a little closer to Peter in a sort of possessive fashion while looking at Gwen's eyes. _Nice message, bitch but I don't give a fuck._ "But, despite what you said, it's not for you to decide. So, if you don't mind, could you let Petey answer?" She continued with an overly sweet voice. _You're on bitch!_ Gwen thought and glared at her, despite well knowing that what she said what actually quite reasonable. She decided to ignore little nuisances like that for the sake of creating a situation that was uncomfortable for everyone involved. Well, maybe not for everyone…

"Come ooooon, Liz. If what Stacy said is true, then Parker's not gonna come but it's gonna take the whole rest of the day for him to say that and, let me tell you, I've got no patience for that." Sally said, shaking her friend's shoulder a little while sending a glance at Gwen that somehow managed to be both arrogant and thankful. It was almost impressive. Meanwhile, Liz clenched her jaw and decided to stubbornly ignore her blond friend, staring at Peter expectantly. By the way, he seemed totally confused about what just happened.

"So, Petey?"

"Ahm… I… What Gwen said was right so I think I'll skip this one. Besides, I have other things to do as well." He said uncertainly. Then, when the brunette's face showed a little disappointment, he quickly added. "But if you want I can send you an e-mail for what to pay attention to, if that's better."

"… Yeah, thanks." Was the brief answer he got. In the meantime, Sally stared at Peter as if he was an alien. She sent a questioning look at Gwen, who just rolled her eyes in return. The cheerleader looked back, and then an amused smile spread across her face, which she didn't even bother to hide. "Anyway, if you change your mind, just give me call, okay?" Liz said while she stood up, apparently not keen on giving up just yet. Peter nodded briefly then watched the two of them walk away. If it was anyone else, Gwen would assume that he was checking them out but most likely, he was trying to solve whatever just happened… while checking them out a little. He was a sixteen year old, after all.

"Gwen," He said, finally looking back at her. "I missed something again, didn't I?" He asked, looking like someone who was hoping for an answer but didn't actually expect one. _I'd hate to disappoint._

"Yep. But it's girl stuff so you wouldn't understand." She said, wrapping up what's left of her sandwich and proceeding to stand up.

"Ahm… Could you at least try to explain it?" Peter asked suddenly, stopping her.

"Hmm…" She made show of thinking about it before shrugging. "Maybe. But the thing is 'Petey', I doubt I'm as good of a teacher as you are, so I'm gonna leave it as it is. But hey, if your method really works, maybe you'll figure it out yourself, without any help. Until then, bye." She finished then walked away, while secretly glancing at him one last time. He, of course, looked totally dumbfounded but also… guilty. He may not really get what's going on but he apparently understood very well that he somehow hurt her feelings, even if unwittingly, and he obviously felt bad about it. Which in return made Gwen feel bad about herself. She quickened her steps because she was afraid that she might turn back at any moment to apologize. But after such a rollercoaster of emotions in a short period of time, she just couldn't do it. Plus, her pride wouldn't let her

She went into one of the toilets and washed her face, hoping to calm herself down. It didn't really work. _So when dad's not around I just find someone else to went out my frustration on. Awesome, Gwen. Reealy awesome. Maybe you could just insult MJ for trying to help while you're at it. …Honestly, why do I make to things so complicated?_

* * *

Being Spider-man has become complicated recently. Thanks to Silver Sable's threat, Peter had a hard time concentrating not only on his daily life but also his secret job. In the week since the explosive phone chat, every time he had tried to bust some criminals, he also had to wonder if it was actually another trap, making him overly cautious which greatly distracted him from catching the perpetrators. In fact, two days ago, two of his targets managed to escape even though they were just mere extortionists without any special equipment whatsoever. It was a huge blow to his ego.

Luckily, so far there weren't any actual attacks towards him but it only made him more anxious. Silver was a scary woman by herself but to boost, she apparently had the Shocker working for her and a literal sentient sandstorm. He was just glad that he didn't have to worry about the Rhino anymore. Still, he had become quite paranoid to the point the even forgot to attend his auxiliary biology test that Professor Warren had so leniently allowed him to write. For the first time in his life, he actually had to worry about a school subject, which just goes to show how dire the situation had become.

Fortunately, Gwen Stacy (of all people) had managed to console him a bit by (ironically) pointing at another problem he hadn't even noticed yet; His lack of contact with his Aunt. But instead of adding it to his worries, it was something he knew how to solve. So, during the afternoon, he decided to surprise her by taking her down to his late Uncle's workshop, in the basement. Despite her stereotypical housewife appearance, May Parker was a huge fan of crafting and mending as a leisure activity, especially when it came to wood carving. She and Uncle Ben used to spend hours every week there, making something extra for their house. In fact, most of the furniture in their home was made or, at least, improved there. When he grew old enough (around the age of eight) Peter would also go down with them, though he mostly spent his time practicing some basic engineering skills.

They hadn't been down there since Uncle Ben's passing, so the place had become a little dusty but Peter made sure to clean the place up before inviting his Aunt down. She was reluctant at first, but seeing how eager his nephew was, she gave in and in barely half an hour they were already at full speed, repairing some old stuff. Gwen came down and watched them skeptically, not really understanding what was so good about it. The two of them just smiled at each other conspiratorially. Most people didn't understand their love for activities like that so they were already used to it and it never bother them anyway. Peter was a little concerned about the possibility of them sitting in awkward silence but, thanks to a disbelieving Gwen, they ended up telling old stories about their experience in the workshop. In the end, they didn't manage to convince her how entertaining this whole thing was but at least they got to bathe in a little nostalgia. It's good for soul.

Later, they went through their usual chores; eating diner, showering and going to bed… with the exception of Peter. As the events of the day managed to calm him down (except for the middle where some confusing stuff happened with Gwen, Liz and Sally), he could finally think clearer about his other problem. To deal with the fear of the unknown he had to get information about Silver Sable, her boss, the Shocker, that sandstorm, about their origin… so basically anything. Luckily, he didn't have to resort to googling 'silver haired psycho women' as he had other sources. Also, according to Rule 34, he would probably find something very different from what he was looking for.

His most profitable contact would most likely be Captain Stacy but he was still afraid he would recognize his voice and judging by the media backlash he received from working with him one single time, he'd probably be reluctant to repeat that. So he had to go with his second best, a certain reporter for the Daily Bugle. The problem was that he still had to be cautious because he didn't want to put her on Silver's radar and if he regularly climbed in and out of her window, it would raise some attention sooner or later. So he came up with another idea. He wrote the address of their first meeting place on a note, then casually swung by her street and when he got to her apartment, he attached the note the end of his web-line and shot it at her window. He usually tried to avoid aiming at windows because their lack of cohesion and he concluded it to be a very good idea as he fell out of rhythm and nearly crashed into a truck. He managed to regain his balance and turned toward their meeting place, hoping that Betty would actually check her window before the web dissolved, otherwise he would get to meet some random dude who just happened to find the fallen note. He was unsure what they could talk about.

But he didn't have to wait too long as not even an hour later Betty arrived wearing… a gigantic grey hoodie at least two times her size. He wouldn't have even recognized her if it weren't for her sweatpants that he'd already seen before. She walked with her head lowered and her hands stuffed in her pockets, trying to look inconspicuous but she either looked like a huge ghost or a member of the KKK who was very bad at keep her robes clean… none of them very ordinary. She walked into the alley, looked around and leaned against the wall, either waiting for him or afraid that the air current of the alley might lift her up and make a literal human kite out of her. _Maybe she could be my sidekick, Kite-woman_. Somehow, he doubted that the name would catch on.

He crawled above her, then did a flip and landed right in front of her, making her jump a little.

"Excuse me, Ms. Hoodie. I'm looking for a woman. Young, brunette and, to my knowledge, sane enough not to wear something this ridiculous." He greeted her with a mock-serious tone. She looked startled for a second before frowning a little.

"Sais the man wearing a red and blue spandex." She replied teasingly.

"They go with my eyes."

"…Anyway, from the way you contacted me, I thought you might be under surveillance so…" She gestured at herself, letting the sight finish it for her. That is, until Spider-man continued in her stead.

"So you asked an elephant if could lend you any hiding clothes but unfortunately, it could only give you something from its mammoth ancestors. I see, I see."

"Oh, shut up! It's from my ex."

"You dated The Rock? Or the Mountain from Game of Thrones?"

"No!"

"…Brienne from Game of Thrones?"

"Haah." She sighed, a little frustrated. "Could you lay off from my hoodie?"

"I don't know, there might not be any space left."

"I'm serious! I need to tell you some things." She said, getting more frustrated and a little embarrassed.

"It better not be fashion advice."

"Okay, that's it. I'm off. Bye." She snapped and turned to leave. Peter was a little curios to see if she would actually leave but he didn't want to make her resentful any more then he already did so he quickly grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

"Hey, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He apologized as sincerely as he could. Apparently it wasn't very good because Betty looked skeptical so he tried to make an excuse. "It was too easy a target." …He still had a lot to learn. But Betty showed more professionalism as, after glaring at him for a while, she just sighed and decided to move on.

"No wonder so many people want to kill you." She said monotonously and then looked him in the eye (where the eye symbols of the mask were) and threw back the hood from her head. In the past week she must have had a haircut, shortening it down to a chin length cut that looked a little messy, though that might have been because of the static electricity from the hood. Still, it suited her, giving her a rogue badass look, which given what they were doing, completely fitted her. Also, as a teenage boy, Peter found it very pretty but that's beside the point.

"I'd hate to make you one of them." He replied, making his voice more apologetic this time. She just shook her head in return but Peter could see a small smile on her lips.

"You're lucky I have things to tell you. But please don't make fun of this anymore. It's been more than a year but its emotional value is still really big." She said, then froze as soon as she finished, hearing the possibility for another joke. Her gaze intensified as she stared at Spider-man, daring him to make a joke. _You can do it, Peter! Just ignore it! You can gloss over it, as if she never said it, you can keep it in! It's not a big deal, certainly not as big as her… FOCUS PARKER, FOCUS! Keep it in! You can do it! Deep breaths. Oh, and you should say something because it's getting awkward._

"…Anyway, …aham I have things to tell you, too." He said as restrained as he could, which he felt was pretty good given the circumstances. Also, he was glad he wore a mask. It helped him cover a lot of things.

"You must have a terrible poker-face." …Or not. Well, he couldn't prove her wrong there. His poker-face pretty much consisted of annoying jokes, the very thing she just forbade him to do. It was basically checkmate. _Great, now I'm mixing games._

"So… will we continue to make fun of each other all night or are we gonna start telling each other what we came here to tell?"

"Obviously…"

"Because I'm seriously fine with either case."

"We WILL do the second one!" Betty finished, raising her voice a bit after his interruption. "And because your mouth seems to be out of control, you get to start. Or I'm demanding that interview." She said half-threateningly. Or, at least, Peter hoped she wasn't serious. But either way, she more than deserved it, so if she was serious, he wouldn't deny that from her.

He told her everything he found out since their last meeting, about Silver Sable and about his theory that she was actually some mercenary and there was someone higher-up who was really pulling all the strings. He asked her to look into these things to see if she can find out more, though he had a feeling that Silver was the sort of person who covered her traces pretty well. Even so, it was worth a shot, though he repeatedly warned Betty to be extra careful. Firstly, she shrugged it off, saying that she knows what she's doing but his persistence and his scared ( _but, you know, in a manly way)_ tone must have convinced her because she finally promised to make every possibly precaution.

When he asked her about Mr. Sandstorm ( _I'm gonna have to come up with a better name then that!)_ she was as clueless as he was but she did manage to find out about the identity of the Rhino and, consequently, the Shocker. They were apparently a group of enforcers, which basically meant that they did some muscle job for their employer. Their team also included Jackson Brice, AKA Montana, who was found dead at the scene of the two incinerated vans, where Spider-man met Betty for the first time, and Flint Marko who, according to his ex-wife, went missing around the same time.

When Peter heard how that Montana guy died, a shiver ran through his body as he suddenly felt colder. He'd known him. He'd known how he looked like, spoken with him and now even knew his name. Granted they mostly tried to capture/kill each other but he didn't want him dead. It left a mark on his psyche. But he couldn't let this effect his job, since they finally had some leads to follow.

"This… Flint Marko guy. Could he be this… "He thought about something witty but he was getting tired so he decide to give up "Sandman?"

"Yeah, maybe." Betty nodded, with slightly approving face. "My superior, Ben Ulrich thinks so too. But there isn't any record of him as a mutant."

"Yeah, but I doubt the Rhino used to have his interspecies looks. You said he was Russian, right? I haven't met many but I seriously doubt that Russians can look like that on a whim."

"You think he was modified?" She asked thoughtfully. She pondered over it for a minute then shook her head. "Even if they have that much money, no scientific method has been reported that can do something even remotely close to this."

"Well, it happened to me." Spider-man quickly countered… and then completely froze. _Shit! You and your damned mouth, Peter! Why don't just give her your address!?_ He thought angrily. Betty just stared at him, her eyes wide. Her breath quickened a little bit and he could see that she was so eager for more information that she could barely keep her heartbeat at bay. But she visibly held herself back, closed her eyes and blew out a breath, collecting herself.

"I see." She said with a much better poker-face then Spider-man before. And she didn't even had a mask. _Maybe I do suck._ "Do you think that they got it the same way you did?" She asked. It was subtle but Peter understood that she didn't give up on finding out more about him. And he could also see that she was a bit… concerned. Which made sense, given that if they really got their powers from the same place it could mean that Spider-man was actually working with them and all those battles were just for show. And that would mean that her life was all but over. It was a reasonable suspicion but it hurt him nonetheless. He has been accused of various things by various people but he had started to consider Betty a friend so this was different. It was a real eye-opener. They weren't at that level yet. Which was, again, reasonable since he was always so secretive about himself with her. It's hard to build trust on that.

"No, I don't think so. In my case, it was an accident. With something experimental." He said slowly, choosing to reveal some more in hopes of gaining some of her trust back. It felt hard to reveal even this much and it made him dizzy for second. But, apparently, it worked.

"Sticking to the classics, eh?" Betty asked with a coy smile, her eyes were still beaming with excitement from the revelations. Though she didn't let it hinder their work. "But, in that case, artificial modification is obtainable with enough money which they obviously have. It would certainly explain why they only started to appear recently. And it puts Flint Marko as suspect number one." She continued, nodding to herself as the tension faded from her body. She believed him! Even though he had barely given any reason to trust him, she had believed him. In some deeper level, he knew that she should be more cautious but it still made him happy. He had been lacking that lately.

"Yeah. But even if they have some method that can create these powers, they must have someone who can properly make use of it." He said, refocusing his thoughts. "I mean, even that exoskeleton the Rhino wears looks complicated enough that only handful of people could make something like that in the whole world." He mused, thinking of potential candidates.

"Actually, I think we already found the one behind it." Betty said suddenly at took out her phone from her enormous hoodie. She unlocked it and taped it a few times before showing him a photo of an older man exiting a diner, carrying a bag in his left hand. "That's…"

"Doctor Connors!" Spider-man exclaimed, instantly recognizing him even without seeing his missing right arm.

"…You know him?"

"Of him. He's a famous professor at E.S.U. He and his wife had made some groundbreaking contributions on the field of biochemistry." He explained then realized that Betty probably already knew all that. But he was unsure how he was connected to any of this. "From what I know about him, he basically designated his whole life to the benefit of humanity. Just now, he's reportedly working on a method that can regenerate cells." _Hey, Peter, tone down the fanboyism._ "My point is, he isn't the kind of guy who would help criminals become supervillains."

"Normally, I would say that money can buy a lot things…" Betty said, looking a bit weird at Spider-man, probably because of his outburst. "But I'm afraid there's another reason behind his help." Then, she told him about what she'd learned from Ben Ulrich and what she and Ned found out in the past week. They even tried to get an interview with him but he hurriedly declined. Same with the police, who couldn't do anything with the lack of evidence. She then, swiped to another photo showing a young man in sunglasses not far from Doctor Connors. Then a different photo, at a different place with the same man, and so on. "Me and Ned kept our distance ever since. We fear that more questions would just endanger his and his family's life even further."

"Hence, why you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, but I don't exactly have your phone number so I could just mostly wait. I tried to think of some signal but I wasn't sure…"

"You should just hang something out from your window. Something I'd definitely see, something huge and of unremarkable color so it's not too conspicuous. But what could it be…"

"… You promised."

"What? I didn't say anything wrong. Why, did you think of something?"

"Ah… fine just stop it already." Betty said a little dejectedly, while Peter was kind of proud of himself that he could actually keep restrain himself for so long. _I need to get better goals._ "But, more importantly, could you find a way to make contact with Dr. Connors? Discreetly! His home is being watched so I don't think that's good. Maybe…"

"I can find a way." He said, and started to feel like an asshole for always interrupting her. But he suddenly remembered Liz's invitation for the E.S.U. open day. Making contact with him as Peter Parker is surely less conspicuous then doing it as Spider-man, though it was certainly dangerous. But he could work up a plan by tomorrow.

"You sure? Do you need help?" Betty asked. It didn't seem like she was doubting his ability but rather that she actually wanted to help. It made Peter smile under his mask.

"It's better if you don't get involved too closely. No sense in widening the target radar of the enemy." He said, hoping to sound cool which mostly turned to a weird mumbling.

"Yeah… okay, you're right." She sighed then hesitated and eventually stretched out her hand, placing it on his. "Thanks… for helping out." She said sincerely.

"You're welcome, fellow cosplayer!" He said in a cheerful voice. Betty just rolled her eyes and smiled, a motion that was getting disturbingly habitual for her. _Wonder what the cause._

After they said their goodbyes and separated, Peter started to think about the next day. It was good that he finally had some leads to follow but… _I have to hang around with Flash and co. Oh well, at least Liz's gonna be there so it might be fun. Yeah, fun, fun, fun! It'll absolutely be fun._

* * *

"Go and have fun!" Schultz rasped to his friend as they stood in a heavily lit street in downtown Manhattan. Well, Schultz was standing while Flint was… keeping his sand particles in one place. After his escape, he tried question his thought-to-be-dead teammate but, apparently not only did he lose the ability to speak, he was also unable to take solid form for more than a few seconds. So they had to communicate with basic signs and gestures, which can only get you so far. According to him, Flint could hear, see, smell, feel and even taste, though that last one only became apparent after they raided a convenience store (where they stripped the salesclerk from his clothes, which Schultz now was wearing). In the end, he couldn't find out where Flint was since the Goblin's attack but he was probably trying to piece himself back together, just in a more literal sense. He did ask how he got these powers but the semi-human shape just shrugged. He also had to wonder if there were other changes to him, like it was with Alex. As far as Schultz could tell, he was the same as before if one didn't count his bodiless form. Still, it was something he would look out for.

But those worries were for later times, as they had more urgent matters. Or more precisely, Schultz had. After gearing up with some hidden stack of weapons (nothing much, just a sawed off double barreled shotgun, and a pair of Glocks) they headed straight to where they'd certainly fond someone who could point them in the right direction; Hammerhead's club. It was closed for a few days after Spider-man's attack but since then it has been reopened and reequipped with some higher security against sneaky break-ins. Good thing they weren't planning to be sneaky.

The parking lot before the building had slightly more cars then it usually does, which meant that Hammerhead had some company. And by the limousine, Schultz had a pretty good guess who. _This day just keeps getting better!_ But it also meant that they were expecting them and probably barricaded themselves in with lots of armed goons. So, despite wanting to wreak havoc himself, Schultz sent Flint in first who was less like to have problem with bullets.

His friend seemed nearly as eager as he was, as, instead of slipping in through the cracks, he formed into a giant fist and full on broke in the front doors. Gunfire immediately erupted but wasn't even a hindrance as he just walked forward, letting the bullets pass through his incorporeal body. Flint extended his arms which elongated in a really creepy fashion and knocked out two gourds, then continued his march in. Shultz followed only to see more goons getting knocked out. He noted that none of the blows were meant to kill, which eased his heart a little. When his daughter was threatened he completely lost control but as soon as the stakes were back to normal, he reverted to his old self. It gave him hope.

Through their ascend to the first floor, Schultz didn't have an opportunity to use his guns but that changed when they got Hammerheads office. Flint shifted and swirled, slamming into a trio of heavily armed guards, that looked way more professional that the one below, then tried to knock down the door for the office, but it seems it had been changed since the last time they were here, now being made out of reinforced steel. That didn't stop them however, as Flint just simply did what did when freeing Schultz from his prison, moving his particles fast enough to cut through the lock. But when he did, a sudden shockwave hit him, blowing him away and making him fall to pieces, unable to reshape himself. Schultz immediately raised the double barrel, as he still wasn't feeling very good so he couldn't trust his aim with a pistol.

The office was crammed with people. Six military type guards were aiming at the door with FN SCARs in their hands, looking like they were perfectly accustomed to use it. Directly behind them was standing Hammerhead with his arms crossed and scowling furiously, probably because the damage they caused to his club. Further away, in Hammerhead's chair sat Silver Sable, completely disinterested and sporting her usual cold expression. And right at the front, before the guards stood… Deadboy! Wearing HIS gauntlets. _You are so dead!_

"I came to kill you." Schultz said in a whisper, trying to suppress his fury but it still leaked out.

"Oh yeah, puta? You and what army?" Deadboy boosted, with a slightly breaking voice. He was trying to look confident but his shaking knees betrayed him.

"Just me. But believe, even if I'm shot to shreds, I'm gonna drag your fucking corps to hell with me." He snarled, the intensity of his tone surprising even him. Somehow, it made the Latino frightened, causing him to aim the gauntlet towards his head. _You're not holding a gun, ass._ Interestingly, even the soldier-like thugs tensed up a little bit, and so did Hammerhead, as if afraid of Schultz. Or maybe because he just looked like a raging mad man. The only one who remained entirely calm was Silver Sable.

Then he heard a familiar hissing sound, and from the corner of his eyes he could see, Flint rising in a humanoid shape with spheres of sand moving around him non-stop. Practically everyone's attention turned toward him, except Sable's but there wasn't any firing. It would have been useless. Even Deadboy had to be careful since his previous shot was mostly thanks to the element of surprise. Considering the display of power his friend showed at the construction site, Schultz felt pretty confident.

"Do you think you can win?" Asked Sable suddenly from her seat, tilting her to the left but keeping her face expressionless. Surprisingly, her tone didn't contain mocking, but genuine curiosity, albeit not much of it… _Do I?_

"Since I just want to kill this guy, yeah." He replied nonchalantly.

"Just… him?"

"Yes." He replied annoyed… and snapped his mouth shut in shock. Because what he said, he said it honestly. _But why!?_ Even thought, that guy didn't do all those things on his own initiative, even though he was supposed to be angry at the woman behind the desk, he just… wasn't. _Why!?_ He wondered frantically and locked his gaze with Sable's. The woman who caused much of his misery… and the woman who cared for him he was feeling nothing but pain and made it go away, the woman who fed him and cleaned him, the only one who made him feel relieved during the last few days. And suddenly he understood.

He whirled his gun away from Deadboy, taking aim at Sable's head and gritted his teeth. The six soldiers who had been focused on Flint suddenly turned their assault rifles towards him and even Hammerhead produced a pistol from somewhere, pointing it at him. Flint moved slightly before him, as if getting ready to absorb the bullets but luckily nobody started to shoot. And the all the while, Schultz just glared at his former boss while clenching his jaw so much that it started to become painful. She maintained her usual cold expression but her eyes studied him intently. _I should just shoot her! I should blow her manipulative brains out!_ He wanted to want it but he… just didn't. Because no matter how much he understood that this was her plan all along, that his subconscious has been manipulated, the fact was that it worked. He didn't want to kill her. _DAMN THAT FUCKING BITCH!_

He slowly lowered the gun, with his shaking and let out a sigh. A small smile appeared on the corner of Sable's mouth but it disappeared just as quickly. Then she nodded while her right hand slipped into the sleeve of her white blouse. From anyone else, it would have been an innocent movement, but...

The knife flew out so fast that Schultz didn't even have time to react… and neither did Deadboy whose right leg suddenly jerked away in pain, while scarlet blood stained the walls. He fell to the ground and just stared in shock before letting out a pained howl. The end of the knife was sticking out of the back of his knee.

When Schultz caught up with the quick turn of events, he stepped forward and kicked Deadboy in his stomach with all the force his legs could carry. The man let out a choking sound and stopped screaming. Schultz glanced around only to see the guards lower their weapons calmly, as if they were already expecting this outcome. _So I'm still playing your game, bitch._ But, at that moment, he didn't care. He crouched down and started to take down the gauntlets for himself. Deadboy tried to resist but he just got kicked in the face. When he was done, he slipped his hands into them, finding comfort in the familiar feeling. Then he aimed them at the man on the ground who looked back at him with wide and terrified eyes.

"N-no, no please. Please don't do this. It wasn't my fault, please man. I wasn't… I just… Please, I don't want to die." He begged, his overbearing attitude nowhere to be found.

"What do you hope to achieve with this?" Schultz asked, somewhat baffled. "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. Because you are, Deadboy." Then he aimed his gauntlet and shattered his other knee with a shockwave. The man screamed again and tried to crawl away. So Schultz fired again and broke his hands. He did that for a while, just aiming at body parts and breaking them with shockwaves, while paying attention not to kill him. He wanted him to suffer. But, it didn't take long for him, with all the pain, to lose consciousness. He wanted to continue a little but not enough to wait until he reawakened so he simply crushed his skull. It was good enough. And he turned out to be right; he did wet himself

He wasn't sure how long he tortured the guy but by the time he turned around, the guards and Hammerhead were nowhere to be seen. Flint was 'standing' beside him in a semi human shape, though his legs were merged together in a big column-like shape. Even without and apparent facial expression, he could feel his concerned look, worried about his mental well-being. _That ship has already sailed, my friend._

The other still in the room was Silver Sable, who haven't moved from her seat. She glanced at the bloody corpse then back at Schultz and a cold, but somehow satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Welcome back, Mr. Schultz!"


End file.
